Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court in Ikeja has convicted and sentenced a traditional herbal healer, Segun Shina to fourteen (14) years in prison for attempting to sexually assault a 10-year-old girl.
Justice Oshodi sentenced the convict after holding that the evidence presented by the prosecution, including a medical report and his voluntary guilty plea, proved that he committed the offence.
The convict was initially arraigned on a charge of defilement on April 4, 2021, by the Lagos State government.
Shina had pleaded not guilty to the charge, a development that made the State Counsel, Ms Bukola Okeowo to call two witnesses comprising the survivor’s mother and an investigative police officer, who presented evidence and exhibits before the court.
The offence, according to the prosecution, violates Section 262 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
During her testimony, the survivor’s mother stated that she had taken her daughter, an epilepsy sufferer to the convict for treatment.
“He gave my daughter something to drink and she vomited. He later told me that my daughter would need to stay with him for a few days to complete her healing,” she said.
’’When my daughter returned home, she revealed that Shina had sexually assaulted her,” she testified.
However, on February 2, the prosecutor informed the court that the defendant, through his counsel, Mrs Rukayat Owolabi, had entered into a plea bargain agreement, which resulted in an amended charge of attempted sexual assault by penetration.
When the amended charge was read to the convict, he pleaded guilty.
In his judgment, Justice Oshodi held that the convict understood the nature of the plea bargain and that his counsel had adequately explained it to him.
He held, “Segun Shina, you have pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault by penetration of a 10-year-old girl suffering from epilepsy.
“I must emphasise that the charge you originally faced carries a penalty of life imprisonment. You exploited a vulnerable child seeking help for her epilepsy and betrayed the trust placed in you as a traditional herbal healer,” the judge stated.
After considering Shina’s plea for mercy and the submissions from his lawyer and the prosecutor, Justice Oshodi sentenced the convict to 14 years in prison, starting from November 16, 2018, the date of his arrest.
The court also ordered that his family must ensure his rehabilitation upon release.
“You shall have no direct or indirect contact with the family of the survivor, and your name shall be registered as a sex offender under the law,” the judge ruled.
