Chrisland child defilement: Court upholds defence’s objection, rejects polygraph evidence

An Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court has rejected the results of a polygraph (lie detector) test presented by state prosecutors trying Adegboyega Adenekan, a Chrisland School Supervisor, over alleged child defilement.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Adenekan, 47 is facing trial for allegedly defiling a two years and 11 months old pupil of the school.
In a ruling on Thursday, Justice Sybil Nwaka, rejected the results of the lie detector test on the grounds that polygraph evidence has not yet been judicially noticed by Nigerian courts.
Nwaka said: “Expert opinion is necessary in Section 68(1)of the Evidence Act, the court is however not bound by the opinion of experts.
“The court is not disputing the qualifications of the expert in accordance to Section 68(1) and (2) of the Evidence Act.
“A machine is not to be used to take over the duty of the court except when the need arises.
“The document is hereby marked as rejected.”
NAN also reports that during proceedings of July 4, a polygraph expert, Adebayo Falola, had informed the court while being led in evidence by Babajide Boye that Adenekan had failed a polygraph test.
Adenekan had undergone the test in the presence of Child X’s mother and Chrisland School officials to determine if he committed the alleged offence.
Falola, an employee of Halogen Securities, who claimed to have conducted over 250 polygraph tests in Nigeria, in his evidence, said that Adenekan showed signs of deception when he underwent the test conducted on November 15, 2016.
Boye, during the polygraph expert’s evidence, had sought to tender the result of the polygraph test, a consent form and polygraph charge sheet as evidence.
However, Olatunde Adejuyigbe (SAN), counsel to Adenekan, had objected to the tendering of the documents.
He told the court that the polygraph evidence was not recognized under the Nigerian law.
Adejuyigbe said: “There is no law that grants the admissibility of polygraph examination in our Nigerian laws. His oral evidence and what this document seeks to talk about is expressly excluded by Section 67.
“The revised Evidence Act of 2011 has taken all technological advances into consideration, polygraph evidence is a foreign practice and our jurisprudence does not recognize it.
“It will be a dangerous practice for the courts to openly embrace it, I urge this court to mark the documents tendered and rejected.”
Adenekan, who was arraigned on Jan. 29, plead not guilty to a charge of child defilement.
The prosecution alleged that Adenekan committed the offence sometime in November 2016 at Chrisland School, Victoria Garden City, Lagos.
According to the prosecution, the defendant defiled the complainant by having unlawful intercourse with her.
The offence violated Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011 which recommends a life sentence for offenders.
Continuation of trial has been adjourned until November 27.