Ekiti teacher who raped student in 1999 sentenced to 15 years in prison

45-year-old teacher Oluwagbemi Alabi was sentenced to 15 years in prison for raping an eight-year-old girl.

Alabi, who committed the crime in 1999, was convicted of one Ekiti State Supreme Court, Ado Ekiti Division.

He was charged with one count of rape on August 25, 2023.

The charge read: “Alabi Oluwafemi raped an eight-year-old girl at Ikere Ekiti within the jurisdiction of this honorable court sometime in 1999 at the time of commission of the offence.”

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The prosecutor said the offense contravened and was punishable under Section 358 of the Penal Code, Chapter 30, Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria, 1978.

The victim, who said Alabi was his teacher and neighbor, said in her statement to the court: “Every time he came to teach me at home, he touched my breast.” I understood nothing of what he was doing , until he raped me in our living room when my mother traveled to Lagos and left me and my sister at home.

“He removed my cloth, cleaned the blood and semen with it and threw it away. Later I ran to our neighbors crying, they thought I was missing my mother, but I didn’t tell them what happened.”

The victim, who said she dropped out of school because she could no longer concentrate on her studies, explained: “I was scared every time I saw him in class. At some point in 2012, he came across me on Facebook, sent me a friend request and I declined.”

“In 2023, he started bothering me again. I have reported the matter to law enforcement. I was advised to ignore him. After that, he started sending me disturbing and annoying videos and messages referencing the past ugly incident. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I decided to take legal action against him,” she told the court.

Prosecutor Kunle-Shina Adeyemo called two witnesses.

As evidence, Adeyemo also submitted, among other things, a confession from the defendant, evidence of the defendant’s conversations with the named plaintiff, a petition and a printout of a screenshot of chats.

The accused spoke in his defense through his lawyer, Ademola Adeyemi, and called two witnesses.

In the judgment, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye said: “The sexual intercourse with the victim could not have been consensual as she was a minor as an eight-year-old girl and was incapable of consenting to the sexual intercourse.”

“The defendant’s confession also clearly showed that the defendant actually committed the crime.

“This matter will be resolved in favor of the prosecution and the defendant will be found guilty as charged.” One of the goals of sentencing is deterrence. The defendant is hereby sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment without the possibility of a fine.”