Man Jailed For Life For Defiling Two Minors

After a thorough trial that aimed to provide justice for the victims, the Special Offenses and Domestic Violence Court in Ikeja on Tuesday found a man, Ndedigwe Paul, guilty of sexually assaulting minors and sentenced him to double life in prison.

On January 30, 2024, Justice Abiola Soladoye sentenced the convict. Following a thorough review of the evidence, the court found the defendant guilty on two of the three counts of defilement and unlawful sexual relations with a minor, in violation of Section 137 of the Lagos State 2015 Criminal Laws.

Naija News reports that Ndedigwe allegedly lured the victims—who were seven and six years old, respectively—into his room where he engaged in illegal sex acts with them while they were in kindergarten.

It was discovered that he took advantage of the minors one after another while the other watched, sticking his finger in each victim’s private area and getting intimate knowledge of each one of them.

He entered a not-guilty plea to the three counts of defiling youngsters, ages six and seven, respectively, when he was arraigned on February 14, 2023.

The prosecution, led by Olufunke Adegoke and A.P. Bolanle, made a strong case throughout the trial, and the victims were called to testify. The victims, who were seven and six years old, respectively, described the graphic incident and named Ndedigwe as the man who invited them to his room, behaved indecently toward them, and then had illicit sexual relations with them on his bed.

In her ruling, Judge Abiola Soladoye called the man “a rough, crude, greedy, paedophile and a destiny destroyer for corrupting the young girls’ morals and such an act must be punished so as to act as a deterrent to other paedophile.”

She went on to say that the victims are children and not of legal age to provide consent.

The defendant was found guilty on two of the three counts against him by Soladoye, who also sentenced him to life in prison for the other two counts.

Ndedigwe was transported right away to complete his term concurrently at the Ikoyi Correctional Center.