Metro
Court Sentences 23-Year-Old Man to Life Imprisonment for Raping Lagos Teenager
Justice Abiola Soladoye of the Lagos State Special Offences Court has sentenced a 23-year-old man, Blessing Okon, to life imprisonment for raping a 14-year-old girl.
The prosecutor, while arraigning Okon before the court, said he committed the offence on September 13, 2019, on Ribadu Road, off Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos State.
During the trial, the prosecution called three witnesses — the victim, her father and a medical doctor. Okon testified solely in his defence.
The victim, during her evidence, told the court that the convict sexually assaulted her when she was nine years old by touching her breasts on two occasions.
She added that he defiled her when she was 14 years old by dragging her to the staircase of her home and having unlawful sexual intercourse with her.
Delivering her judgment, Justice Soladoye, who noted that the victim was consistent in her evidence before the court which established that the defendant had been having sexual contact with her since she was nine years old, described the convict as shameless.
She said, “This defendant is lacking in compassion; he had sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl. There was overwhelming evidence against him as presented by the prosecution. He therefore should pay for his sexual crime.
“He is guilty of Section 137 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State and is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment without an option of fine. His name is to be entered into the register of sexual offenders in Lagos State.”
Justice Soladoye commended the chaplain of the victim’s school who reported the incident for listening to the teenager’s complaints and reporting the case to the authorities without any cover-up.
She urged heads of other schools to do the same.
Many parts of Nigeria have been plunged into darkness again as the country’s national grid collapsed for the 11th time this year.
A message from Jos Disco to its customers confirmed that the grid collapsed on Wednesday afternoon.
The message which was signed by the company’s Head of Corporate Communication, Friday Elijah, reads:
“PUBLIC NOTICE
Dear esteemed Customer(s),
The current outage being experienced within our franchise States is a result of loss of power supply from the national grid. The loss of power supply from the national grid occurred this afternoon at about 1333 hours of today, Wednesday, 11th December 2024, hence the loss of power supply on all our feeders.
“We hope to restore normal power supply to our esteemed customers as soon as the grid supply is restored back to normalcy.
“Thank you for your patience and understanding as we strive to serve you better.”
Many Nigerians have expressed their frustration on social media, particularly X, formally Twitter. Many of them noted that they have not had electricity for days.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is yet to confirm the reported collapse of the national, while Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company only reported a power outage. Eko Electricity Distribution Company reported “a loss of power supply in our network”.
Statement from EKEDC:
“Dear Valued Customer,
Kindly be informed there was a reported case of system disturbance on 11th November, 2024 at 13:32hrs which has resulted to a loss of power supply across our network.
“We are currently working with our partners as we hope for speedy restoration of the grid. We will keep you updated as soon as power supply is restored.
Kindly bear with us.”
It should be noted that earlier this week, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) reportedly directed gas producers to stop supplying gas to indebted generation companies (GenCos).
The collapse of the national grid was reported by the Jos Disco.
NMDPRA’s threat to discontinue the supply of gas to GenCos could cause a blackout in the jurisdictions of the affected gencos.
According to reports, the federal government and some GenCos owe over N2 trillion in legacy debts to gas producers in Nigeria.
The NMDPRA has called on gas off-takers, particularly power generation companies, to ensure timely payment for the gas supplied.
The TCN and the Ministry of Power are yet to react to the situation.
Source: Nairametrics
A Nigerian medical practitioner, Dr. Rasheed Abassi, has sparked widespread debate following comments on TVC’s programme – Your View – where he recommended increased sexual activity for women as a way to reduce the risk of breast cancer.
The doctor also advised men to consider polygamy, citing its potential health benefits, including a lower risk of prostate cancer.
“Women need to have more sex to reduce breast cancer risk. When a woman reaches orgasm, she releases oxytocin, which lowers her chances of developing cancer,” Dr. Abassi stated during the interview.
Addressing men’s health, Dr. Abassi claimed that polygamy could improve longevity and reduce prostate issues. “Men with two to three wives live longer than men with one wife. If your son is not getting rid of his DHT (dihydrotestosterone), he is likely to develop an enlarged prostate,” he said.
He also linked the absence of regular erections to potential cardiac problems. “Any man not waking with a full erection already has cardiac issues. My oldest patient is 92 years old and has a four-year-old daughter — and that’s DNA-proven,” he revealed.
When asked about the risks of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) associated with increased sexual activity, Dr. Abassi emphasised the importance of safe practices. “The condom is not 100% protective, but we still advise it. Awareness is key,” he said.
He also noted that some men cite the cost of contraceptives as a challenge, comparing it to the financial costs of engaging in sexual activities.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Abisola Ruth Olusanya, has lauded MoneyMaster PSB for its support for the state’s ‘Ounje Eko’ initiative.
She gave the commendation recently during an official visit by the executive management team of the bank to her Ikeja, Lagos, office.
The commissioner thanked the team for the visit and expressed appreciation for the support for and participation of the bank in the Phases 1 and 2 of the Ounje Eko project.
She challenged the bank to work more closely with the Ministry, saying such collaboration will bring additional dividends through ongoing and future initiatives to Lagos residents.
Head, Agency Banking, MoneyMaster Payment Service Bank, Mr Julius Arhebun, in his response thanked the Lagos State Government for appointing the PSB as one of the official collection banks for the food initiative.
‘Ounje Eko’ initiative is a weekly food discount market where Lagos residents can buy a variety of food items at a discount of 25 per cent.
Arhebun, who was accompanied on the visit by Dimeji Amao; Head, Merchant and Enterprise Business, Bulus Ayuba; Head, Operations and Olumide Orojimi, Head, Marketing Communications pledged additional support and readiness of the bank for future initiatives of the Ministry.
MoneyMaster PSB is a leading provider of innovative digital financial products and services that transform lives and contribute to sustainable living. With a mission to deepen financial inclusion, MoneyMaster has been instrumental in providing financial technology services to bridge the gaps between the banked, underbanked and unbanked population.
The bank recently launched a 10% data bonus and 100MB seeding bonus to its existing and new customers to deepen financial inclusion. The offers are available to Nigerians via the USSD code and mobile banking app.
