A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ikorodu, Lagos State has remanded a 45-year-old woman, Rayinat Bakare, in a correctional center for allegedly stealing a nine-year-old girl.
The defendant, whose address was not provided, was charged on Wednesday with felony to wit child stealing.
The Chief Magistrate, A. B. Olagbegi-Adelabu, who did not take the plea of Bakare, adjourned the case until May 16, 2024 for legal advice from the office of the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions.
Earlier, the Lagos State Prosecuting Counsel, Olawunmi Osibanjo, told the court that Bakare committed the offence on March 14.
Osibanjo said Bakare committed the offence at about 5:30pm at Allynson St, Ikorodu in Lagos.
The prosecutor said the defendant held the hand of the nine-year-old girl while walking on the road and the girl was crying unabated.
She added: “People who saw her crying then asked her if the woman was her mother and she said no, which brought the attention of the crowd who started questioning the defendant.
“The mother of the girl eventually appeared and told the crowd that she had never come across the defendant in her entire life,” the prosecutor said.
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The prosecutor said that the offence contravened the provisions of Section 277 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.
According to Osinbajo, the defendant is liable to 14 years in prison if found guilty of the offence.