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An Ekiti State High Court has sentenced two teachers, Ajibola Gbenga (43) and Olaofe Ayodele (52), to 44 years in prison for raping minors.
The defendants were found guilty of raping a 17-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl in November 2019. They were also convicted of abusing their offices as public servants.
The court heard how the defendants lured the victims to a hotel, where they were sexually assaulted.
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 second 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 charge further reads that “the defendants 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”.
In her testimony before the Court, one of the victims said, “Mr. Ajibola was my Computer teacher; he always disturbed me while in class; on this fateful day, he told me to be in mufti, 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 here for him.
“When they came, we all left for a hotel around the 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, and when I could no more bear it, I narrated what happened to my mother, who later took the matter up,” she concluded.
To prove his case, the prosecutor, Kunle-Shina Adeyemi, called four witnesses and tendered statements of the victims and defendants, Medical reports, and the report of the Panel of enquiry, among others, as exhibits. Meanwhile, the defendants spoke in their own defense through their lawyer, Lawrence Fasanmi and called six witnesses.
They denied all allegations levied against them, describing it as apolitical, and tendered exhibits to support their innocence.
In his judgement, Justice Familoni said, “The defendants seared their minds and mulled the voice of the conscience as they took advantage of the victims with reckless abandon.
Justice Adeniyi Familoni, in his judgment, stated that the defendants deserved severe punishment for their actions, which were committed with reckless abandon.
He sentenced each defendant to 20 years in prison for the rape charges and 2 years for abusing their offices, with the terms to run concurrently.
This sentencing serves as a warning to others who may consider committing similar crimes, and it emphasizes the importance of protecting minors from abuse and exploitation.
“They deserve severe panel sanction for their misdeeds to serve as a warning to others who may want to follow in their footsteps.
“Therefore, Ajibola Gbenga is sentenced to twenty years imprisonment in count one without the option of fine, Olaofe Ayodele is sentenced to twenty years imprisonment in count two without the option of fine while the two defendants are sentenced to two years imprisonment each in count three, the terms are to run concurrently.”
