A scrap seller, Nasiru Usman, was on Monday convicted and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment by an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, for sexually assaulting and indecently treating a four-year-old baby (name withheld) in his shop.
Justice Rahman Oshodi handed down the verdict following Usman’s plea bargain agreement to the amended three-count charge of indecent treatment of a child, sexual assault and indecent act.
The judge, in his judgment, held that he was satisfied that the convict understood the nature of the offences he had pleaded guilty to
Oshodi thereafter sentenced him to seven years on count one, three years on count two and two years on count three.
The judge further ordered that the sentence should run consecutively, totalling 12 years.
He said: “Nasiru Usman, you stand before this court for sentencing, having pleaded guilty to indecent treatment of a child, sexual assault, and indecent acts, contrary to Sections 135, 263, and 134, respectively, of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State.
“These offences were committed against a four-year-old victim on January 6, 2023.
Initially, you were charged with defilement, an offence which attracts life imprisonment as punishment under the Criminal Law.
However, following negotiations between the prosecution and your defence counsel, a plea agreement was reached dated May 22, 2025.
“The plea agreement, which has been properly executed and filed before this court stipulates that your sentences shall run consecutively for a total period of 12 years’ imprisonment.”
Justice Oshodi said he had given due consideration to several pertinent factors, as the convict’s actions were perpetrated against a vulnerable four-year-old child.
According to him, the convict’s act represents a gross violation of trust and constitutes a heinous abuse of his position of authority over an innocent minor.
He said the psychological trauma the convict had inflicted upon the minor was immeasurable and might have lasting effects throughout her life.
Oshodi said: “I have considered your plea of guilty, which demonstrates some acceptance of responsibility for your actions and has spared the young victim the additional trauma of testifying in court proceedings.
“Your guilty plea also represents a saving of judicial time and resources, and I have also considered the remarks made during sentencing proceedings, wherein you expressed profound regret, stating that you are not happy with yourself and your criminal behaviour.
Therefore, I find the terms of the plea agreement to be fair and reasonable in the circumstances of this case.
Accordingly, you are hereby sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment as per the terms of the plea agreement.
“This sentence shall commence from the date of your remand on January 6, 2023, and you shall be registered as a sex offender.”
The prosecution had arraigned the convict on a count of defilement, to which he had pleaded not guilty on January 23, 2024.
The State Counsel, Ms Bukola Okeowo, had told the court that the convict committed the offence on January 6, 2023, on Ghetto Corner, Lekki, Lagos.
Okeowo had earlier called an Investigative Police Officer, who narrated how the convict lured the minor into his shop, had unlawful sexual intercourse with her, and then gave her a sum of N200 thereafter