A Benin High Court, presided over by Justice Efe Ikponmwonba, has remanded one Osasumwen Vincent at the Correctional Custodian Centre, in Benin City for the alleged defilement of an 11-year-old girl.
According to report the 30-year-old suspect was arraigned on Monday on a rape charge.
When the charge was read to him, however, the accused pleaded not guilty.
Ikponmwonba, nonetheless, ordered his remand at the correctional facility and adjourned the case to June 10 for hearing.
The state prosecutor, Mrs Hamma Iyamu, had earlier told the court that the suspect, sometime in October 2022, at Ohovbe Quarters in Benin Juridical Division, forcefully raped the 11-year-old girl.
The prosecutor said the suspect committed the offence contrary to Section 4 and punishable under Section 5 (1) of the Edo State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law 2021.
