By Becky Usman

In a significant ruling, the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court sentenced a 45-year-old man, Paul Ndedigwe, to double life imprisonment for the heinous act of defiling his neighbor’s two children, aged six and seven.

Justice Abiola Soladoye, in her judgment, affirmed the prosecution’s success in proving two out of the three counts brought against Ndedigwe. She declared that the evidence presented convincingly supported counts one and two, both related to child defilement.

However, Ndedigwe was discharged and acquitted on count three due to the absence of the alleged survivor, who failed to appear in court to provide evidence.

Justice Soladoye characterized Ndedigwe as rough, irresponsible, and a destroyer of destinies. The convict, who lived as a neighbor to the minors, engaged in sexual intercourse with them simultaneously and in each other’s presence.

According to the judge, “When the survivors began to cry, he turned up the volume of his television set.” The prosecution witnesses’ evidence was deemed corroborated, truthful, and unshaken.

Consequently, Ndedigwe was found guilty on count one and sentenced to life imprisonment, and he also received a life sentence for count two. The judge ordered that the sentences should run concurrently and directed that the convict’s name be added to the Lagos State Sexual Offences Register.

During the trial, Lagos State counsel Mrs. Olufunke Adegoke presented three witnesses, while the convict testified solely for his defense. Adegoke asserted that the convict committed the offense on November 19, 2021, on Ifelodun Street, Amukoko, Lagos State.