An Ekiti State Chief Magistrate’s Court in Ado Ekiti District has ordered the remand of a 70-year-old man, Sule Adeola, at the Nigerian Correctional Centre, Ado Ekiti, for allegedly raping a 10-year-old girl.
The defendant, according to the charge, “within Ado Ekiti Magisterial District is reasonably suspected to have committed an offence of rape on a 10-year-old minor severally between March and June 2023.”
The police prosecutor, Inspector Olubu Apata, said the offence was punishable under Section 31(2) of the Child Right Law of Ekiti State.
In her statement to the police, the victim said, “My mother is late while my father resides in Abeokuta. I stay with my grandmother in Ekiti. Baba Sule (the defendant) is our neighbour.
“Anytime my grandmother sent me on an errand, Baba Sule would call me to his room, pull my pants and insert his something (penis) in my vagina. I usually felt pain anytime he did it. He always warned me not to tell anybody with the threat that he would beat me to death.”
The police prosecutor prayed the court to look at the attached documents and order the remand of the defendant for 30 days pending the issuance of legal advice by the Director of Public Prosecution.
The Chief Magistrate, Kehinde Awosika, who said there was probable cause to remand the 70 years old, said, “The defendant is hereby ordered to be remanded at the Correctional Centre, Ado Ekiti, pending issuance of the legal advice by the Director of Public Prosecution.”
The chief magistrate adjourned the case to July 10, 2023, for mention.
