The Lagos State Police Command, on Tuesday, arraigned a 16-year-old girl before the Ebute Meta Magistrates’ Court for alleged murder of her father’s friend who allegedly attempted to rape her.
The young girl, a Senior Secondary School (SSS) three pupil, was arraigned by the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) before Mrs A Adedayo of the Ebute-Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court.
The police brought her before the magistrate on a one-count charge of killing one Babatunde Ishola aged 51 years on March 7, 2020 at Nwadolu Street, Aboru in Alimosho area of the state by stabbing him to death with a knife and thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 225 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2015.
The deceased was said to be employed as a guard at a school in the community and lived alone.
The teenager’s plea was however not taken but after listening to the application of the prosecuting police officer, Chief Magistrate Adedayo promptly remanded her at the Correctional Home For Girls in Idi-Araba.
She ordered the police to send a duplicate copy of the case file to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and adjourned till April 27 for DPP’s advice.
The State Office of the Public Defender (OPD), which is defending the teenager, did not oppose the proceedings.
The OPD has however assured the teenager of free and quality legal representation throughout the duration of the trial.