75 yrs old remanded for defiling 2 girls

From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

A Magistrate Court sitting in Minna has ordered the remand in prison custody of a 75-year-old dry cleaner, Abdullahi Umar, for allegedly raping two girls and fingering one other.
Umar is standing trial on 2-count charge of forms of sexual abuse exploitation and having unlawful sexual intercourse with a child. He however pleaded not guilty when the charges was read for him.
The Prosecutor, Inspector Gunduma Ibrahim told the court that one Bashir Mohammed reported the matter to the Child Rights Agency on April 15.
Ibrahim said the accused person was said to have lured the complainant’s 7-years-old daughter into his room at Maje Tunga, Minna and fingered her genitals.
According to him, during police investigation it was revealed that the accused person had lured two other girls of ages 9 and 7, who were his close neighbors, into his room and had carnal knowledge of them on different occasions.
He said the accused person warned the girls not to tell their parents what had been transpiring.
He noted that the offences were contrary to sections 19 (2) and 18 (2) of the Child Rights Law of Niger State 2010.
The Prosecutor thereafter prayed the court for an adjournment to enable police complete its investigation into the matter.
In her ruling, Magistrate Binta Rijau ordered the accused person to be remanded in prison custody.
Rijau adjourned the matter until May 9 for further mention.