TWO men have been remanded in custody by a Lagos Magistrate’s Court for allegedly gang-raping an 11-year-old girl, a crime that only came to light months later after the victim’s teacher noticed a change in her behaviour.
Samuel Sunday, 23, and Andrew Obiaru, 49, are accused of luring the child and engaging in the unlawful act sometime in December 2025 at Ogabi Square, off Mangoro Agege, Lagos, where all parties reside.
According to police reports, the two suspects threatened the girl into silence, warning her not to tell anyone about the assault.
The matter remained undisclosed until February 2026, when the victim’s class teacher observed that the child appeared unusually dull, withdrawn, and was arriving at school in dirty uniform. Upon questioning, the pupil disclosed that she had been molested by the men on several occasions.
The teacher immediately reported the case to the Dopemu Police Division. Officers arrested the suspects and transferred them to the Gender Section of the State Command for a full investigation.
Prosecutors subsequently brought the pair before the Ogba Magistrate’s Court on charges of conspiracy and defilement. The charges state that the men conspired to commit a felony under Section 411 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2015, and that they had unlawful sexual intercourse with an 11-year-old child, an offence punishable under Section 137 of the same laws.
The court did not take the defendants’ pleas after the prosecutor, Inspector Lucky Ihiehie, requested that the case file be referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.
Presiding Magistrate, Mrs M.O. Tanimola, ordered that both men be remanded at the correctional centre in Kirikiri town, Lagos, pending the outcome of the DPP’s advice. She also directed the prosecutor to duplicate the file and forward it to the DPP without delay.
The case has been adjourned for mention to await the DPP’s report, which will ultimately determine whether the matter is transferred to the High Court due to jurisdictional requirements.
