Court Sentences 2 Teachers To 44 Years For Rape In Ekiti

An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has sentenced two teachers to 22 years jail term each for raping their female students.

The convicts, Ajibola Gbenga (43) and Olaofe Ayodele (52) were arraigned before Justice Adeniyi Familoni on 2nd March, 2022 for rape.

The duo were tried on three-count charge bordering on rape and abuse of office.

The charge reads that the defendants, “Sometime in November, 2019 at Ado Ekiti within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did rape a 17-year-old girl. Also the 2nd defendant sometimes in November, 2019 did rape a 15 year old girl, contrary to section 31(2) of the Childs Right Law, Cap. C7, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.”

The defendants, according to the charge, sometime in November, 2019 at Ado Ekiti did abuse their offices as Public Servants, contrary to Section 104 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap. C16, Laws of Ekiti State 2012.

The victim in her testimony before the Court, said “Mr. Ajibola was my Computer teacher, he always disturbed me while in class. On this fateful day, he told me to be in mufty, he gave me N200 to go and wait for him in front of a filling station along Bank Road. He later came there alongside Mr. Olaofe, before they came, one of my classmates also met me there, he told me Mr. Olaofe asked her to wait there for him.

“When they came, we all left for a hotel, around Oke-Ila area of Ado Ekiti, on getting there, we were taken to different rooms where Mr. Ajibola had sexual intercourse with me. After that day, he continued to disturb me, when I could no more bear it, I narrated what happened to my mother who later took the matter up”, she concluded.

The prosecutor, Kunle-Shina Adeyemi called four witnesses and tendered statements of the victims and defendants, medical reports, report of the panel of enquiry among others as exhibits to proof his case

The convicts who spoke through their lawyer, Lawrence Fasanmi called six witnesses.

While denying all allegations levied against them, they described it as political and tendered exhibits to support their innocence.

Delivering his judgement, Justice Familoni said, the defendants took advantage of the victims with reckless abandon.

The court ruled that the convicts deserve severe panel sanction for their misdeeds to serve as warning to others who may want to follow their footsteps.

Justice Familoni therefore sentenced Ajibola to 20 years imprisonment in count one, while Ayodele was also jailed 20 years in count two, both without option of fine.

The two were also sentenced to two years imprisonment each in count three. The sentences are to run concurrently.