An Ogun State High Court sitting in Abeokuta on Monday sentenced Ojo Ezekiel, 47, a secondary school teacher, to life imprisonment for raping a seven-year-old child.
Justice Abiodun Akinyemi noted that Ezekiel, initially arraigned on July 1, 2022, was convicted on a sole count of rape, which is contrary to Section 3 (1) and punishable under Section 3 (2) of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law of Ogun State 2017.
Ezekiel was apparently teaching at a secondary school located on the same compound as the minor’s school.
The prosecuting counsel, Olusegun Olaotan, told the court that while bathing her seven-year-old daughter, the victim’s mother noticed something wrong with her private parts.
After persistent questioning, the seven-year-old revealed to her mother how she was sexually abused by the teacher.
Olaotan, in his final submission, said: “While giving her evidence in court, the second prosecution witness (PW2), who is the victim, said that the defendant used to pull aside her pant before inserting his finger into her vagina.
“Evidence of the third prosecution witness (PW3) (medical doctor) corroborates that of the second prosecution witness. She testified that, in the course of examining, she discovered that the hymen of the PW2 was not intact. It was opened by 2cm.”
He stated that PW2’s evidence supports the claim that she was sexually abused, which was further substantiated by exhibits 2 and 3 as well as the testimony of PW1, the child’s mother, who saw something wrong with her private part.
Olaotan further revealed that the victim identified the defendant as the only person who repeatedly, four times, inserted his finger into her private part.
The girl reportedly informed the court that the defendant frequently committed this horrible crime inside his car, which was parked under a tree after school hours, and then instructed the victim not to tell anybody or she would be beaten.
Olaotan thereafter urged the court to go ahead and punish the defendant for his misdeeds, as the evidence before the court is quite overwhelming and weighty enough to hold that the defendant was guilty of rape and should be convicted accordingly.
Justice Abiodun Akinyemi said the prosecuting counsel established the case of rape against the accused and thereafter sentenced him to life imprisonment.