Korede Abdullah 
LAGOS, Nigeria – A Lagos Special Offences and Domestic Violence Court has sentenced Emmanuel Lakehinde, a press worker, to life imprisonment for the rape and defilement of an 11-year-old girl, marking another firm statement from the judiciary on child protection.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Rahman Oshodi ruled that the prosecution had proven the case beyond reasonable doubt. He described the offence as “one of the gravest violations under Nigerian law,” stressing that the survivor had suffered irreversible physical and psychological harm.
During the trial, state prosecutor Babajide Boye detailed how Lakehinde, alongside accomplices still at large—including Sesan Oluwole, who absconded while on bail—sexually assaulted the minor on 12 December 2013 at Sanusi Street, Shomolu.
The prosecution presented three witnesses: the survivor, her grandfather and a medical professional. Their testimonies were admitted as credible and consistent with medical evidence.
The court imposed a life sentence for defilement and an additional 10-year sentence for conspiracy, ordering that Lakehinde’s name be entered into the Sex Offenders Register, as required under the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency Law (2021).
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