Mosediq Toheeb, a 24-year-old Islamic teacher, was charged with sexually assaulting a six-year-old student at a Quranic school and was arraigned before a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court.
The state police command had filed two sexual assault charges against the defendant, which led to his arraignment.
Thomas Nurudeen, the police prosecutor, informed the court that the event took place at the University of Lagos Central Mosque on May 7, 2023.
The Islamic teacher allegedly violated the child twice, according to reports. The incident was discovered when the child, who had blood stains on her clothes, came home from school. She reported to her mother that her class teacher had taken her to a different classroom, bound her wrists and mouth, and defiled her before sternly telling her not to tell anybody.
According to the prosecutor, the crimes were in violation of Sections 261 and 137 of the Lagos State Criminal Laws of 2015.
The charge against him read: “That you, Mosediq Toheeb, on May 7, 2023, around 4 pm at UNILAG Central Mosque, in the Yaba Magisterial District, did sexually assault one six-year-old female (name withheld), who lives at No. 26, Femi Adebule Street, Fola Agoro, in the Somolu area of Lagos, by inserting your finger into her vagina and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 261 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.”
Toheeb’s attorney, Patrick Onochie, pleaded with the court to take the defendant into consideration because he claimed the defendant was a final-year student at the University of Lagos who would be starting his final exams in two weeks, while Nurudeen asked the court to remand the defendant for 30 days pending legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecution.
Magistrate Nwaka ruled that the defendant be remanded, rejecting his plea. According to the judge, there was no documentation in front of the court demonstrating that the defendant was a student, in his final year of study, or about to start an exam.
Magistrate Nwake mandated that a duplicate of the case file be made and forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecution for legal counsel before adjoining the case to June 19, 2023.
