Police arraign bricklayer for defiling 12-year-old pupil

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A 44-year-old bricklayer, Tunde Babalola, has been arraigned by the police in a Lagos Magistrate’s Court, Ogba, for allegedly defiling a 12-year- old pupil.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the victim, who lives in the Mushin area of the state, had returned from school around 2.30pm on October 21, but did not meet her parents at home.

She was said to have approached Babalola, who was working on a building under construction on the premises, to call her parents who were with the key to the house.

Babalola was said to have told Victoria to sit on his laps before he could render any help. He allegedly dragged her to the uncompleted building and raped her.

The police arraigned Babalola on five counts bordering on breach of the peace, assault, and rape.

The charges read in part, “That you, Tunde Babalola, on October 21, 2016, at about 4.30pm, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did conduct yourself in a manner likely to cause breach of the peace by molesting a 12-year-old girl, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 166(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.

“That you, on the same date, time and place, in the aforesaid magisterial district, did have an unlawful carnal knowledge of one 12-year-old girl, knowing that it is wrong, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 259 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.”

The defendant pleaded not guilty before the presiding magistrate, S.B. Bakare, and was granted bail in the sum of N250, 000, with two sureties in like sum.

In a related development, an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday granted three students N500,000 bail each over alleged gang raping of a female colleague.

The accused – Samuel Omodele, 21; Olabanjo Balogun, 21; and Divine Francis; 20 – all students of Nigeria Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research, Ajah, Lagos, are facing charges of conspiracy and rape.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs. B. O. Osunsanmi, ordered the accused to also produce two sureties each in the like sum.

Source: Punch