A Christian cleric, Ogunleye Cornelius, was on Friday charged before a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos over alleged defilement of a teenager.
Cornelius, 50, who resides at No. 4, Abiodun St., Makoko in Yaba area of Lagos, is facing a two-count charge of defilement and sexual assault. Prosecutor Peter Nwangwu told the court that the accused committed the offences sometime in December 2014 at No. 4 Abiodun St., Makoko, Yaba. Nwangwu, an ASP, said the accused, who had been eyeing the 14-year-old girl in the neighbourhood, sent her on an errand to buy sachet water for him.
According to him, the accused lured the girl into his apartment and had canal knowledge of her. The prosecutor said the offences were a contravention of Sections 135 and 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Section 135 stipulates imprisonment for seven years, while Section 137 provides life imprisonment for child defilement. The accused, however, pleaded innocence of the offences.
Ruling on the bail application of the accused, the Chief Magistrate, Mrs A.F. Adeeyo, granted him bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum. The case has been fixed for Aug. 3 for trial.