A 42-year old man, Ilesanmi Adewale has been sentenced to life imprisonment by an Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti for raping a 16 year old girl.
Adewale who was arraigned before Justice Monisola Abodunde on December 16,2021, committed the offence in Isan Ekiti, Oye Local Government Area of Ekiti State.
According to the charge, he committed the offence on 13th February, 2021 at Isan Ekiti, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court when he raped a sixteen year old girl, contrary to section 31(2) of the Child’s Right Law, Cap. C7, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.
The victim in her statement to the Police, said, “my father sent me to Iludun Ekiti from Isan Ekiti to bring his ATM card and a sum of N8, 000 he kept at home. On my way back to Isan, I boarded the convict’s car, I was alone with him in the car, he first touched my breast, I warned him to stop it. On getting to a bush between Isan and Iludun, he stopped the car and I opened the door and ran away, he chased and caught me, he carried me on his shoulder to a nearby bush with cutlass in his hand and threatened to kill me with the cutlass if I refused to cooperate. He then removed my pant and forcefully had sexual intercourse with me.
“During the process, I was shouting, I bit his hands, and tore his cloth, yet he refused to leave me.He had collected my father’s ATM card and N8, 000 from me, he gave it back to me and begged me not to tell my father.
“When I got back to the road, I saw my father on a motorcycle, I narrated what happened to him, the driver was arrested and later taken to the Police station, she concluded”.
The prosecutor, Folashade Alli called three witnesses and tendered one pant, a big cutlass, medical report, defendant statements among others as exhibits to proof h case.
The defendant who spoke in his own defense through his counsel, T.J. Omidoyin called no witness.
Justice Abodunde in her judgment said, “the crime of rape of minor is assuming a frightening dimension in this jurisdiction, I cannot contradict the terms imposed by the law. The mandatory provision is that, once a defendant is convicted of rape, he is liable to imprisonment for life.
“Based on the above reasoning and in strict adherence with the provisions of the law, I have no alternative than to sentence the defendant to life imprisonment and I so hold”, the judge ruled.
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