A 30-year-old man, Moruf Mohammed, who allegedly defiled his neighbour’s seven-year-old daughter, was on Monday arraigned in an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court.

Mohammed, who resides at Ayanbadejo Street, Samsudeen, Ikorudu, is standing trial on a charge of defilement, to which he pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor, Insp. Simeon Inhonwa told the court that the defendant committed the offence on May 25, 2017, at his residence.

Inhonwa said the defendant lured the girl into his apartment, on a pretext of sending her on an errand and defiled her.

”When the pain was too much for the girl, she started crying out loud and a neighbour who was passing by heard her voice.

”The woman immediately entered into the room and to her surprise, she caught the defendant fingering the girl’s private part, ” Inhonwa said.

He said the case was reported to the police by the girl’s parent and the defendant was arrested.

The offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 137 of the law prescribes life imprisonment for child rape.

In her ruling, the Chief Magistrate, Mrs B.O. Osunsanmi, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N500,000, with two sureties in like sum.

She ordered that the case file should be duplicated, a copy of which should be sent to the State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice