Justice Abiola Soladoye of the Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court on Monday sentenced a lesson teacher, Joseph Ibanga, to life imprisonment for defilement and impregnating a 14-year-old girl.
The offence is said to be punishable under Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, which stipulates life imprisonment for offenders.
The prosecution presented three witnesses at the trial, while the defendant had no witness and spoke in his own defence.
According to the prosecution team, Olusola Soneye, Olufunke Adegoke, and Abimbola Abolade, the defendant committed the offence between January and March 2019 at No.12, Iresi Street, Orile-Agege, Lagos.
They all submitted that the defendant was a lesson teacher, who taught the survivor at home because she was not in school “for a long time due to slow learning.”
The prosecution said the defendant raped the minor where she lived with her aunt whenever he went to teach her.
She subsequently became pregnant and had a baby.
Delivering judgment in the matter, Justice Soladoye said the prosecution proved the charge of defilement against the convict.
She said, “The survivor was a minor and her consent is immaterial. The evidence before the court showed that the defendant had sex with the victim in her home and in the defendant’s own matrimonial home. She subsequently became pregnant and had a baby.
“The medical report corroborated the evidence against the defendant. The defendant is responsible for the act and there is evidence before the court to prove same.
“The survivor identified the defendant as her lesson teacher and the person who had sexual intercourse with her without her consent.
“The defendant is very ungrateful and wicked, ravished the student with impunity and taught her nonsense. Ibanga has brought ridicule to the teaching profession and this punishment will serve as a lesson to him and warning to others.
“The defendant is hereby found guilty as charged based on the avalanche of evidence against him, and he is sentenced to life imprisonment.”
The judge ordered that the convict should have his name entered into the register of sexual offenders of Lagos State. – Punch.
