Lagos Court Sentences Driver to 21 Years for Child Assault

Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja sentenced a 50-year-old bus driver to 21 years’ imprisonment for attempting to sexually assault a three-year-old girl and causing her significant psychological harm. The conviction was based on a two-count amended charge of attempt to commit sexual assault by penetration and indecent treatment of a child, violating Sections 262 and 135 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.

The offences occurred in January 2023, and the judge noted that no sentence could reverse the harm done to the victim, who continues to suffer from the effects of the assault. The convict received 14 years for the first count and seven years for the second, with the sentences running consecutively.

The judge ordered the sentence to start from January 7, 2023, when the convict was remanded. Additionally, the convict must be registered as a sex offender under the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency Law of Lagos State 2021.

The trial included testimonies from six prosecution witnesses and the convict as the sole defence witness.