The presiding chief magistrate of Court 3 Minna, Niger State, Hajiya Halima Balaraba Yusuf, has ordered the remand of 20-year-old Philip Jonathan for alleged sexual molestation of a four-year-old girl.
Yusuf, who gave the order, held that the court would give an accelerated hearing to the case.
The suspect was arraigned by officers of the Anti-Gender and Violence Against Child Squad of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, SCIID, of the Niger State Police Command, headed by SP Olubumi Duyilemi, on one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a child.
The Police First Information Report, FIR, marked MN/CR/91/2024, obtained in court, said the offence is punishable under Section 26 (2) of the Niger State Child Rights and Protection Law 2021 as amended.
The police prosecutor, ASP Emmanuel Bassa, disclosed: “On June 29, 2024, at about 4:30 pm, one Habibat Yakubu of Gwanzunu area of Suleja Local Government reported to the Police in A’ Divisional Command that on June 28, 2024, Philip Jonathan of the same address lured her four-year-old daughter to his room and had sexual intercourse with her.”
Bassa explained that, as a result, the child sustained injuries all over her private part.
“Upon receiving the report, detectives swung into action and arrested Philip Jonathan and during the police investigation, the victim identified him as the person who had sexual intercourse with her inside his room,” he said.
However, when the charge was read to him by the presiding chief magistrate, the defendant pleaded not guilty.
His counsel, Barr Ochegene Victor, applied for his bail on the ground that the defendant was presumed innocent until the case against him was established.
But the police prosecutor objected to the bail while pleading with the court to remand the defendant in correctional custody for the commencement of the accelerated hearing into the case.
Consequently, the presiding chief magistrate ordered that the defendant be remanded in a correctional facility and adjourned the case until September 4, 2024.