Thursday, January 8, 2026 - An elderly man, Idowu Fashola, has shared his experience after being in custody for 8 years over child molestation accusation.
Pa Fashola, 70, was accused of r@ping a young girl who had
lived with his family from the age of three.
Speaking after his release, he explained that the girl was
brought to his home by his wife for care and training and remained with them
until she reached secondary school age before returning to her parents.
In tears, he narrated how the
family later arrived with the police and accused him of r@pe, leading
to a prolonged court case and his detention.
He was recently found not guilty and discharged after the
court determined he had no case to answer.
A nonprofit organization focused on ensuring access to
justice for all, the Foundation for Public Interest Law and Development (FPILD)
secured the discharge and acquittal of Pa Idowu Fashola, 70, after an
eight-year legal battle over an allegation of defilement of a minor.
Pa Fashola was discharged and acquitted on December 1, 2025,
by Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in
Ikeja, following the dismissal of a one-count charge of defilement filed
against him.
The prosecution had alleged that in 2017, Pa Fashola engaged
in s£xual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl, Elizabeth Babatunde, described
as the granddaughter of his wife’s elder sister.
Following his arraignment, the defendant pleaded not guilty
to the charge.
He was initially arraigned on February 6, 2020, before
Honourable Justice S.O. Nwaka, who is now a Justice of the Court of
Appeal.
The matter was later reassigned, and Pa Fashola was
re-arraigned on November 17, 2021, before Justice Oshodi, where he again
entered a plea of not guilty.
During the trial, the prosecution called four
witnesses.
According to the prosecution’s case, a neighbour allegedly
observed inappropriate conduct involving the prosecutrix (alleged victim) and
her father, which prompted a report to the Community for the Defence of Human
Rights (CDHR). Investigations subsequently led to the arraignment of Pa
Fashola.
In his defense, Pa Fashola, who hails from Lagelu Local
Government Area of Ibadan, Oyo State, denied the allegation, stating in his
testimony that he was merely informed that he had been accused of having s£xual
intercourse with the prosecutrix.
Delivering his judgment, Justice Oshodi held that the
prosecution failed to provide credible and admissible evidence to prove beyond
a reasonable doubt that the defendant had s£xual intercourse with the
prosecutrix in 2017.
The Court observed that the failure of the prosecutrix to
give first-hand testimony on the alleged incident was fatal to the
prosecution’s case.
Watch the video vbbelow:
Lagos Man Cleared of Child Molestation Charge After Seven Years in Custody
— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) January 7, 2026
An elderly man, Idowu Fashola, has shared his experience after being accused of raping a young girl who had lived with his family from the age of three. He explained that the girl was brought to his home… pic.twitter.com/dJcLB8B3jW
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