Alani Rafiu, a Muslim cleric, was given a life sentence by an Ikeja Sexual Offenses and Domestic Violence Court for raping a 14-year-old girl inside a mosque.

Rafiu was found guilty of the crime of child defilement by Justice Rahman Oshodi, who on Monday imposed the sentence. On October 28, 2021, Rafiu was charged with having intimacy with the adolescent.

The incident took place in Lagos State's Ikotun neighborhood on August 17, 2021. The prisoner, however, entered a not guilty plea to the charge. Three witnesses, including the victim, were called by Solarin to testify against the convicted person.

Oshodi held in his ruling that the prosecution had met its burden of proving the teen was defiled by the convicted individual. The convict violated the trust that was placed in him as a family friend and religious instructor, and the judge ruled that the seriousness of his offense could not be overstated.