A Lagos High Court has handed down a lifetime jail term to a security guard, Olawale Olarenwaju, after eight years in Ikoyi Custodial Centre.

The convict was first arrested and remanded in 2016 but was not produced in court until January 3, 2023.

Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Special Offences Court in Lagos who handed down the life sentence to Olawale also criticised officials of the Ikoyi Custodial Centre for failing to produce the convict in court, starting from the day he was remanded.

Though, Justice Rahman Oshodi, in his judgement found Olawale guilty of defilement and sentenced him accordingly, he also berated lapses and delay in justice on the part of the Ikoyi Custodial Centre to bring the defendant, who had been in prison for eight years to court. “The defendant was in Ikoyi Custodial Centre and remained there for about eight years from the day of his remand until he was produced before me on January 3, 2023 for arraignment. The preceding demonstrates gaps in the operation of the Nigeria Correctional Service.

“It is mind-boggling to hear that the defendant had been in Ikoyi Custodial Centre since 2016 but was brought to court for the first time in 2023.”

“The correctional centre was directly responsible for the defendant’s long period of awaiting trial and this is appalling,” he said.

Oshodi, while delivering the judgment, held that the prosecution proved the ingredients of defilement with charge number LD/2359C/2016 against the defendant.

He said the survivor, (now 18 years old) testified before the court that she was 13 years old when the incident happened and that the defendant was a security guard at a construction site.

By Eugene Agha

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