Man sentenced to 14 years in prison for sexually abusing a minor in Ekiti

A High Court in Ekiti State, Ado Ekiti Division, on Tuesday sentenced 24-year-old Sunday Asere to 14 years in prison for sexually abusing a six-year-old girl.

Asere was tried on rape charges on March 22, 2022.

The indictment states: “The accused raped a six-year-old girl at Moferere in Ado Ekiti sometime in January 2020.

“The offence contravenes Section 31(2) of the Child Rights Act, Cap. C7, Laws of Ekiti State, Nigeria, 2012,” it said.

The six-year-old girl, who said she was attending primary school at the time, said that the defendant, her mother’s neighbor, loved to caress her genitals when her mother was not there.

The girl had stated that she felt pain every time the accused touched her genitals, but was unable to tell her mother because of the accused’s rudeness.

However, she said she told her father everything when he visited her at school on January 14, 2020, a day after the accused raped her again, after which the father reported the incident to the police.

Prosecutor Kunle-Shina Adeyemo called six witnesses and presented as evidence statements from the accused and a medical report.

The accused, who spoke in his own defense through his lawyer Adedayo Adewumi, did not call any witnesses.

In his judgment, Judge Adekunle Adeleye stated that the results of the medical examination likely indicated sexual abuse, but there was no evidence of vaginal penetration.

Adeleye explained that the prosecution was able to establish sexual abuse based on the circumstances, adding: “The defendant faces a prison sentence of 14 years.”

“Accordingly, the defendant is hereby sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 14 years,” the judge announced.