A 74-year-old cleric, Joseph Adeniran, has been remanded in custody after being arraigned before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos over the alleged sexual abuse of his nine-year-old granddaughter.
Adeniran was charged with defilement and subsequently ordered to be held at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The prosecutor, ASP Adegoke Ademigbuji, told the court that the alleged incident occurred on June 18, 2026, at the defendant’s residence.
According to the prosecutor, the cleric allegedly inserted his finger into the private parts of the child, resulting in heavy bleeding.
Ademigbuji said the alleged abuse came to light after a neighbour noticed bloodstains on the girl’s clothes and became suspicious.
The prosecutor told the court that when the neighbour questioned the child, she allegedly identified her grandfather as the person responsible for the incident.
He added that the matter was subsequently reported to the police, leading to Adeniran’s arrest and prosecution.
The alleged offence was said to contravene Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
However, the Chief Magistrate, Mrs C. M. Kushanu, did not take the defendant’s plea.
Kushanu ordered that Adeniran be remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre until September 24, when the matter will come up for further proceedings, pending legal advice from the DPP.