The Ikeja Special Offenses and Domestic Violence Court is currently presiding over the trial of Taiwo Oyelabi, who stands accused of engaging in unlawful sexual relations with his own daughter.
Mr. Oyelabi is facing a single charge of rape, a violation of Section 358 of the Lagos State Criminal Law of 2015.
During the proceedings, Inspector Bakare Iyabo presented the prosecution’s case, informing the court that Mr. Oyelabi was apprehended on April 16, 2018, following a report made to the Igando Police Station. The report alleged an inappropriate relationship between Mr. Oyelabi and his daughter, leading to his subsequent detention for further investigation.
Inspector Iyabo testified that Mr. Oyelabi confessed to the alleged crime during questioning by both the inspector and the divisional police officer. The witness further revealed that the defendant has two daughters. While the second daughter claimed to have left home due to her father’s inappropriate advances, the victim allegedly stated that she had nowhere else to go.
Additionally, it was disclosed in court that the victim was four months pregnant at the time of the report.
On April 17, 2018, Mr. Oyelabi was transferred to the Gender Police Station for further investigation.
The prosecution presented statements allegedly signed by both the defendant and the victim as evidence.
In response, Mr. Oyelabi’s lawyer, Onome Akpnye, objected to the admissibility of these statements, arguing that they were obtained under duress and were not submitted voluntarily. Akpnye further contended that the copies presented were not original and did not comply with Section 104 of the Evidence Act.
Prosecutor B.T. Boye countered by requesting a “mini-trial” to determine the voluntariness of the statements. He clarified that prosecutors, acting on behalf of the Attorney General’s office, are not obligated to pay specific fees in such instances.
Presiding over the case, Justice Ramon Oshodi carefully considered the arguments presented by both sides. While he acknowledged the defense’s objection, he deemed the prosecution’s actions to be substantially compliant with Section 104 of the Evidence Act.
As a result, the objection was overruled, and the court allowed the statements as evidence.
Subsequently, a “mini-trial” was conducted to ascertain the validity of the statements.
During this process, Inspector Iyabo reiterated that the defendant was neither beaten nor threatened while in custody.
Nevertheless, Mr. Oyelabi stated that he had been physically assaulted by police officers when he was given the chance to testify. He denied being the cause of his daughter’s pregnancy and claimed the community chief, with whom he had a falling out, had maliciously reported him to the police.
Given these events, Justice Oshodi postponed the case until July 10, 2024, so that the opposing attorneys could make their final arguments.
Await more trial updates.
