Kogi Chief Arraigned for Alleged Defilement of Teenager

The Head of the Igala Community in Lagos State, Muhammad Salifu Shaibu, has been arraigned before a court over the alleged defilement of a teenager in 2023.

The Secretary of the Amonu Igala Ujah Ache Council, Daniel Omeje, disclosed the development to City Round on Wednesday.

Omeje said the suspect was charged following an investigation conducted by the Gender Office in Ikeja. He added that the case has been adjourned until November 19, 2026, for continuation of the trial.

Salifu, 58, was arrested on September 16 by officers of the Gender Unit of the Lagos State Police Command, alongside officers from Ogudu Police Station, after he allegedly resisted arrest.

The development followed an earlier report that the teenager was allegedly raped twice at a hotel in Ojota, Lagos, in December 2023, when she was 15 years old.

According to the teenager’s mother, Elizabeth Yakubu, her daughter later became pregnant. She alleged that Salifu initially denied responsibility but later acknowledged the pregnancy and paid N50,000 for an abortion, which the family rejected.

A petition by the family’s lawyer, Kazeem Adebanjo, stated that the teenager eventually underwent a Caesarean section after prolonged labour, but the baby died shortly after birth.

The lawyer further alleged that the teenager suffered complications that damaged her womb, while her father later died during the family’s ordeal.

The family had reported the matter to Ketu Police Station, the Gender Unit and the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, which referred the case to the police for investigation.

Meanwhile, the Igala Youth Community reportedly appealed to the teenager’s mother to withdraw the case, saying it wanted to prevent the matter from escalating into a court case that could cause division within the Igala community.

Commenting on the latest development, the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, confirmed that the suspect had been charged with defilement under Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.

She said the Lagos State Government maintained its zero-tolerance policy towards sexual and gender-based violence and would continue to support survivors while ensuring that the case proceeds through the appropriate legal process.

The case has been adjourned until November 19, 2026.

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