Admin l Tuesday, May 30, 2023
IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – Justice Rahman Oshodi of a Lagos Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court today convicted and sentenced 42 year old father by name Suleimon Usman to life imprisonment for defiling his minor daughters.
Usman was convicted for defiling his eight year old girl, but but was discharged of charges of defilement of his five year old daughter for want of evidence.
The state government had arraigned Usman on two counts charge of defiling his two daughters, eight and five years at his No.2 Bale Street, Ajegunle, in Apapa area of Lagos State contrary to section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.
He entered a no guilty to the two counts charge. Usman was first arraigned before Justice Sybil Nwaka on October 2019 before the judge was elevated to the Court of Appeal and the case file was reassigned to Justice Oshodi court wherein he was reassigned on two counts charge.
He also pleaded not guilty to the two counts and the prosecution commenced trial.
During trial, the prosecution called four witnesses among which was the first survivor, the 8 years old girl, the Investigative Police Officer (IPO), the defendant wife (the mother of the survivors) and the medical doctor from Mirabel center.
After the close of prosecution case, defendant open his defence. He called three witnesses including the defendant.
The survivor in her testimony identified the defendant as her father. The first survivor narrated to court how her father defiled her repeatedly. She said, “what happen is that, my daddy use to carry me every night to our parlour ( living room), he use to put his pennis in my bombom.”
She had further testified that she informed her school teacher who is close to her mother. She told court that she did not tell her mother because the defendant had warned and threatened her that she will die if she tells her.
The survivor’s mother in her testimony narrated how she discovered that her two daughter were defiled when she took the two girls to the hospital. She went to the teacher to help her get information as to why her daughter was not walking properly.
The teacher later told her she doesn’t want to scatter her home. She further told the court that she took them ( the two girls) to the laboratory. During the examination, the nurse told her they have been deflowered. The girls said they were sexually abuse by their father. She was later directed them to Ben Bruce Organisation and later the Mirabel center.
Survivors mother told court how she sexually satisfied the defendant. She expressed her bitterness that the man she married defiled his own children.
Under cross examination, survivor mother told court that there was a night she met the defendant and the girl in their parlor. She recounted that, when she asked him, he told her that he helped the survivor to answer the call of nature ( carry the girl to urinate). She told court she would never lie against her husband.
But the defendant denied, stressing that his wife lied against him because he wants to relocate the wife to village. He said his wife concocted the lie because he wants to marry another wife.
Justice Oshodi however exonerated the defendant of the second charge. The court held that the prosecution failed to proved the second charge against the defendant as the second survivor did not testify to the 2nd charge related to her defilement.
On count one, the court held that the testimony of the first survivor corroborated reports of the medical doctor. The court held that the survivor’s evidence that she felt pain in her bombom because her father put his finger and penis in her vaginal.
“I do not believe that the first survivor was tutored. I reiterated that her evidence is credible . Regardless, I have already received eye witness account, maintained, ‘ what happen, my daddy every night use to carry me from our room and put me in parlour and put his penis in my bombom.’
“The prosecution provided evidence of medical doctor who examined the survivor. The redness in the virginal lips, the anus was loosen and getting healed and there was penetration in the survivor anus.
” I am convinced that the medical doctor evidence corroborate the survivor. The mother said the crime scene is their family parlour. I do not consider the defendant testimony as credible. I found the defendant guilty of count one.”
Justice Oshodi therefore sentenced him to life imprisonment.
“Our society is prone to sexual abuse, sexual crime against children are so prevalence. Our laws in Lagos has zero tolerance to your gang of pedophile that is not acceptable. In your case, the survivor is your child. You put your penis in her virginal and her anus, the survivor was 8 years at the time because she has excruciating pain.
“The medical doctor said she has injury . What sexual pleasure do you want to derive in you child? I hereby sentence you to life imprisonment, your name shall be register in the Sexual Offenders’ Register of Lagos State.”
