A 62-year-old man, Imeje Matthew Daniel, has been remanded in a correctional facility by an Ondo State Family Magistrate’s Court in Akure over the alleged defilement of a 12-year-old girl.

Daniel was arraigned before Magistrate T.G. Alphonso on a two-count charge bordering on indecent assault and defilement. The court heard that the alleged offences were committed within the jurisdiction of the Akure Magistrate’s Court in Ondo State.

Police prosecutor, Martins Olowofeso, informed the court that the defendant allegedly lured and defiled the minor, whose identity is being withheld for legal and ethical reasons. He said the prosecution was relying on a medical report issued by the Ondo State Specialist Hospital (Mother and Child), which, according to him, corroborated the allegation of defilement.

Olowofeso told the court that the alleged offences contravene Sections 218 and 221 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 37, Laws of Ondo State, which prescribe severe penalties for sexual offences against minors. He described the case as a serious offence and urged the court to order the remand of the defendant at the Olokuta Correctional Centre, pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions.

In his response, the defendant claimed he had been heavily intoxicated with alcohol on the day of the incident and could not recall what transpired. He told the court that he allegedly lost his memory and was unable to recollect the events of that day.

Defence counsel, M.C. Otega, opposed the prosecution’s application and challenged the charges as framed. He argued that the counts did not properly reflect the circumstances of the case, particularly in relation to the age of the victim, and urged the court to take this into consideration.

Otega also contested the admissibility and reliability of the medical report tendered by the prosecution, pointing out that it was handwritten. He argued that such a document should not be treated as a formal medical record for the purpose of establishing the alleged offence.

After listening to both parties, Magistrate Alphonso ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Olokuta Correctional Centre while the case file is forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions for advice. The matter was adjourned for further mention, with the court stressing that the allegations involve a minor and will be treated with utmost seriousness.