Two men have been remanded in custody by an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court in connection with separate child defilement cases. Waheed Ibrahim, 32, from Ibeju-Lekki, is accused of defiling a four-year-old girl on September 3, 2024.

The prosecutor, Inspector John Iberedem, alleged that Ibrahim inserted his finger into the child’s vagina. Chief Magistrate E. Kubeinje declined to take Ibrahim’s plea and ordered him to be remanded in a correctional facility in Lagos.

The case was adjourned until November 5, pending legal advice from the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). In a separate case, 57-year-old Rasheed Yusuf, from Illupeju, was also remanded in custody for allegedly defiling a 16-year-old girl.

According to Inspector Iberedem, the offences occurred between July 28 and September 22 at Yusuf’s residence in Illupeju. Yusuf is accused of luring the girl, a co-tenant, into his room and forcefully having sexual intercourse with her. He was apprehended by neighbours, who handed him over to the police.

Chief Magistrate Kubeinje again declined to take a plea and ordered the police to forward the case file to the DPP for advice. This case was also adjourned until November 5.

The offences contravene Sections 261 and 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, respectively. If found guilty, the defendants could face life imprisonment.