41-Year-Old Stroke Patient Bags Life Jail for Defiling 11-Year-Old

A Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, has sentenced a 41-year-old labourer and stroke patient, Idris Ashimiyu, to life imprisonment for defiling an 11-year-old girl.

Justice Abiola Sholadoye convicted Ashimiyu on a one-count charge after considering evidence from the prosecution and the defence.

The survivor told the court that Ashimiyu repeatedly had unlawful sexual intercourse with her when she was in Junior Secondary School One (JSS1).

She said the assaults took place at her grandmother’s residence. The abuse continued until her grandmother caught them in the act.

The grandmother raised the alarm, alerted neighbours and reported the incident to the Panti Police Station.

However, Ashimiyu denied the allegation, claiming that he was only playing with the girl.

The charge stated that Ashimiyu committed the offence between December 2020 and January 25, 2022, at Moleye Street, near Alagomeji, Yaba, Lagos.

It said he defiled the 11-year-old through unlawful sexual intercourse, contrary to Section 137 of the Criminal Law, Chapter C17, Volume 3, Laws of Lagos State, 2015.

Ashimiyu pleaded not guilty when the court arraigned him on April 22, 2023.

During the trial, prosecution counsel, A.A. Adeniyi, called one witness, the survivor, who testified as the first prosecution witness.

The defendant reportedly fell ill while in custody and suffered a partial stroke.

Delivering judgment, Justice Sholadoye held that the prosecution had established the offence through the survivor’s testimony.

“The victim was underage at the time of the incident, the sexual intercourse occurred and a child of her age could not legally give consent,” the judge said.

She described the survivor’s testimony as credible and compelling before finding Ashimiyu guilty of defilement.