An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Thursday convicted and sentenced Chidera Chibuzor to 18 years’ imprisonment for attempting to sexually assault eight-year-old twin sisters.
Justice Rahman Oshodi delivered the judgment following a plea bargain agreement between the convict and the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, which prosecuted the case.
The amended charges included attempted sexual assault by penetration, sexual assault, and assault.
Justice Oshodi stated that the court was satisfied the defendant fully understood the offences to which he pleaded guilty. He noted that the matter was a fresh trial (de novo), as Chibuzor had previously been arraigned on two counts of defilement but opted to change his plea before any witness had testified in the new proceedings.
The judge affirmed that he carefully considered the arguments from both the prosecution and the defence before convicting Chibuzor on all three counts.
He emphasized that the initial charges of defilement carried a mandatory life sentence and involved vulnerable minors who deserved full protection. He noted that the plea bargain allowed the court to exercise discretion in sentencing within the statutory limits.
Justice Oshodi also referenced Chibuzor’s admission of wrongdoing during the proceedings, saying that while the acknowledgment could not undo the harm done, it showed recognition of the severity of his actions.
The court sentenced Chibuzor to 14 years on count one, three years on count two, and one year on count three, with the terms to run consecutively.
He ordered that the prison term take effect from September 18, 2020, the date of the convict’s remand, and that Chibuzor be entered into the sex offenders register.
State counsel Dare Dada told the court that the offences occurred between July 2019 and September 2020 at Karimu Street in Surulere, Lagos.
