Ekiti Sfate High Court in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday has sentenced two teachers to 44 years imprisonment for offence of rape without an option of fine.
The Prosecution, Mr Kunle-Shina Adeyemi told the court that the defendants Ajibola Gbenga (43) and Olaofe Ayodele (52) were arraigned before Justice Adeniyi Familoni on March 2, 2022 on three count charge bordering on rape and abuse of office.
He said that the defendants sometimes in Nov, 2019 in Ado-Ekiti raped two students 17 and 15 years girls respectively names withheld
According to him, the offence contrave section 31(2) of the Childs Right Law, Cap. C7, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.
In her testimony before the Court, one of the victims described Mr Ajibola as her Computer teacher, saying he always disturbed her while in class.
” On this fateful day, he told me to be in mufty, he gave me N200 to go and wait for him infront of a filling station along Bank Road, he later came there alongside Mr Olaofe, before they came, one of my classmates also met me there, he told me Mr Olaofe asked her to wait here for him.
” When they came, we all left for a hotel, around Oke-Ila area of Ado Ekiti, on getting there, we were taken to different rooms where Mr Ajibola had sexual intercourse with me. After that day, he continued to disturb me, when I could no more bear it, I narrated what happened to my mother who later taken the matter up” . She concluded.
To proof his case, the prosecutor, Mr Adeyemi called four witnesses and tenderered statements of the victims and defendants, medical reports, report of the Panel of enquiry among others as exhibits.
Also the counsel to the defendants, Mr Lawrence Fasanmi called six witnesses to prove his case too.
In his judgement, Justice Familoni said, the defendants seared their minds and mulled the voice of the conscience as they took advantage of the victims with reckless abandon.
” They deserved severe panel sanction for their misdeeds to serve as a warning and deterrent to others who may want to follow their footsteps.
Subsequently, the court sentenced Ajibola Gbenga to twenty years imprisonment in count one without option of fine, Olaofe Ayodele is sentenced to twenty years imprisonment in count two without option of fine while the two defendants are sentenced to two years imprisonment each in count three, the terms are to run concurrently, Justice Familoni ruled.
