A 56-year-old man, Jaiyeola Oluwafemi, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a High Court sitting in Ekiti State for raping his 14-yaer-old stepdaughter in the state.
Oluwafemi, who appeared before the court presided over by Adekunle Adeleye, was arraigned by the state’s Police Force on a one-count charge bordering on rape.
During Tuesday’s hearing, the prosecution counsel, Julius Ajibare, told the court that the convict contravened the provisions of Section 31(2) of the Child’s Rights Law.
The offense, according to Ajibare, was perpetrated by the convict on October 26, 2020, while the victim was a student in Primary 6 class.
Ajibare, who stated that the act also contravened the stipulated Cap, C7, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012, presented six witnesses alongside the medical report of the victim as evidence at the court.
“On the 26th of October 2020, my mother traveled to Lagos and he slept in our house. At midnight, he woke me up and forcefully had sex with me and thereafter, blood was gushing out of my vagina,” the victim testified.
“I called my mother the following morning she arrived. She asked him if it had happened, but he denied it. That led to his continued sexual incidents with me, wherever my mother was not around.
“When he saw that I was repeatedly reporting him to my mother, he threatened me. One day, he wanted to have his way with me, so I ran out and met a woman on the road. I told the woman what happened, and she told me to report the matter at the governor’s office. I did, and he was arrested,” she added.
Presiding over the case, the judge ruled that the prosecution had presented clear and convincing evidence.
“The defendant is hereby found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment, ” Justice Adeleye said.
