Blessing Bello, Reporting
A 34-year-old man, Abdulazeez Rauf Olawale, has been remanded in custody by a Lagos magistrate’s court after he allegedly lured a 15-year-old girl into a flat, fondled her breasts, and then had s3x with her while she was reportedly “confused” and unable to resist.
According to a charge filed by the Gender Section of the Lagos State Police Command, the incident took place on Ogundare Street, Ile-Epo, Oke-Odo, where both the suspect and the victim reside.
Prosecutors allege that Olawale enticed the teenager into an apartment and began fondling her.
The court heard that the girl became disoriented during the encounter, and that the suspect took advantage of her confused state to penetrate her without consent.
It was only after the act, police said, that the victim regained her composure and raised the alarm, alleging she had been raped.
Olawale was arrested following a complaint to the police and subsequently charged with defilement under the state’s criminal law.
At the Ogba Magistrate Court, prosecutor Inspector Lucky Ihiehie did not take the suspect’s plea, instead requesting that the case file be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.
Presiding Magistrate M.O. Tanimola granted the request, ordering Olawale’s remand in custody. She directed the prosecutor to duplicate the case file and forward it to the DPP.
The DPP’s advice will determine whether the matter proceeds to the High Court for trial.
The case has been adjourned pending that outcome.
