An Ekiti State High Court in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced a 31-year-old man, Ojo Idowu Adebayo, to life imprisonment for raping a nine-year-old girl.
In her testimony before the court, the victim said, “I am a primary three pupil, I am living with my grandmother. I know Oga Idowu (the defendant) who is my elder sister’s neighbour. On that day, I was fetching water to our kitchen and he asked me to come and get something for my grandmother. When I got there I stood by the door. He asked me to enter, but I refused. He forced me into his room and covered my mouth with his hand. He used the other hand to remove his trousers and started forcing his thing to where I used to urinate. I was shouting but nobody could hear me because he covered my mouth. I was weeping because my vagina was paining me. He warned me not to tell anybody.
“When I got home, I did not tell my grandmother, but on the second day, when I could not walk well, my grandmother asked what happened to me, I told her what Oga Idpwu did to me.”
Corroborating the testimony of the victim, her grandmother said, “I discovered the victim was unable to walk properly. I bought drugs for her, but I threatened to beat her if she refused to explain why she was cat-walking and could not sit well.”
The prosecutor, Barrister Julius Ajibare, called five more witnesses and tendered the defendant’s statement and a medical report as exhibits, while the defendant spoke through his counsel, Toyin Oluwole, who called two witnesses.
Justice Olalekan Olatawura, held that, ‘‘Identification of the defendant by the victim as the person who raped her is not only compelling but credible, same not having been discredited under cross examination and therefore not mistaken.
“In all, I find established and proved beyond reasonable doubt by the prosecution that the defendant and no other person used his penis to penetrate the vagina of the defendant.
“The defendant is found guilty as charged. He is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment.”
