A 25-year-old man, Olajide Fajana, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by an Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl.
The defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment after the court, presided over by Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, found him guilty.
When the matter came up on Tuesday, the prosecutor, Adetola Johnson, told the court that the convict was standing on a charge of rape, the offences he committed in Ikere-Ekiti on July 14, 2023.
The offence, the prosecutor said, contravened Section 31(2) of the Child’s Rights Law, Cap. C17, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.
The victim, in her testimony before the court, said the convict had hypnotised her and asked her to follow him home.
She said, “He thereafter ordered me to pull off my clothes, and I did so. He gave me an egg to rub all over my body and broke it inside a bucket that he kept black with a red thread.
“He ordered me to lie down on the bed and then had sexual intercourse with me, saying I should go home and bring the sum of N16,000 to complete the sacrifice.
“But on getting home, I became conscious and told my mother about the incident.
“He had earlier warned me not to tell anyone about him; otherwise, I would die, but I told my mother.”
The prosecutor called three witnesses and tendered the defendant’s statements as an exhibit to prove his case.
The defendant, who spoke in his defence through his lawyer, called no witnesses.
In his judgement, Justice Ogunmoye said, “The inevitable conclusion in the circumstance is that the defendant’s guilt had been established beyond a reasonable doubt, thus necessitating his conviction.
“He is accordingly convicted as charged and hereby sentenced to life imprisonment.”
