A 48-year-old-man, Leonard Ekeh, who allegedly defiled an eight-year-old girl in his house, was on Friday docked at a Surulere Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

Ekeh, who resides at No. 20, Jacob Adeleye St., Itire in Surulere area of Lagos, has pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge of defilement and indecent treatment of a child.

The prosecutor, Sgt. Antonia Osayande, told the court that the accused committed the offences at No. 20, Adeleye St., Itire, Surulere at about 1.00 p.m. sometime between September 20 and 21.

Osayande said the accused invited the underage girl to his room in the afternoon when most of the tenants in the building were not around and defiled her.

“According to the doctor’s report obtained from the hospital where the girl was examined, the eight-year-old girl was ‘indecently treated’ by the accused.”

The offences violated sections 135 and 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

Ruling on the bail application of the accused, Chief Magistrate Ipaye Nwachukwu granted the suspected defiler bail in the sum of N200,000, with two sureties in like sum.

One of the sureties must be a blood relation of the accused, while the other must be a civil servant on Grade Level 14 and also provide evidence of tax payments to the government.

In addition, she said N50,000 should be deposited in the account of the court’s Chief Registrar.

The case was adjourned to December 13 for advice from the State Director of Public Prosecutions.