Father, brother held for incest

A father, Segun Durojaiye, and his brother, Emmanuel, were yesterday charged with incest at a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.

Segun and Emmanuel were arraigned for allegedly defiling Segun’s 16-year-old daughter for four years.

The 52-year-old father, who resides at Baba-Benja Street, and 44 year-old Emmanuel, of 10, Durojaiye Street, in Oreyo, Ikorodu, Lagos, are facing a charge of defilement.

The prosecutor, Ibijoke Akinpelu, an Assistant Superintendent (ASP), told the court that the accused committed the offence between 2014 and 2017 at their home.

He said the father began sleeping with his daughter in 2014 after she confided about her uncle’s improper show of affection.

Akinpelu said after the victim’s stepmother died in 2014, she was asked to stay a few weeks with her uncle.

“The victim broke her silence after she had had a series of abortions and was helplessly losing weight from the trauma.

“The case was reported at a police station and the accused were immediately arrested,” she said.

The prosecutor said the offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 137 prescribes life imprisonment for child rape.

The accused pleaded not guilty.

Magistrate Oluwatoyin Oghre granted the accused N1 million bail each, with two sureties.

She said one of the sureties should be a Level 15 officer with a titled document, or a traditional ruler.

Oghre said the sureties should show evidence of three-year tax payment to the Lagos State Government (LASG).

She adjourned the case till March 12.