An Ogudu Magistrates’ Court has ordered the remand of a lesson teacher, identified as Michael, at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre following allegations of defiling a 15-year-old student in the Ketu area of Lagos State.
The Lagos State Police Command confirmed the development on Friday, days after PUNCH Metro reported on the alleged rape and concerns that some police officers may have attempted to obstruct the prosecution.
According to earlier reports, the survivor’s mother, Mrs. Zainab Musa, alleged that certain officers pressured her family to accept N200,000 in exchange for withdrawing the case. Responding to this on Tuesday, the command’s spokesperson, CSP Abimbola Adebisi, described the bribery claim as “a mere allegation” and denied its validity. She emphasized that the case remained under investigation at the time and assured that the suspect would be prosecuted.
Adebisi stated the case was initially reported at the Ketu Police Station on July 13, and the suspect was arrested and detained that same day. However, on July 15, as preparations were underway for his arraignment in the presence of the survivor and her mother, the suspect reportedly collapsed. He was promptly taken to the Lagos State Emergency Hospital at Toll Gate and later transferred to Gbagada General Hospital for further treatment.
On Friday, Adebisi provided an update confirming that Michael had now been arraigned before the Ogudu Magistrates’ Court and remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre. The matter has been adjourned until August 24 for hearing.
It was previously reported that Michael allegedly sexually assaulted the teenager multiple times at the tutorial centre and threatened her to remain silent. Following news of the suspect’s hospitalisation, Ololade Ajayi, founder of the DOHS Cares Foundation—a non-governmental organisation focused on combating gender-based violence—urged the Lagos State Commissioner of Police to ensure the suspect faces justice and does not evade prosecution.
