NSCDC official sentenced to life imprisonment for raping minor in Ekiti

A High Court in Ekiti State, Ado Ekiti Division, on Tuesday sentenced a Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps officer, Olukayode Dayo, to life imprisonment for the rape of a minor.

The 39-year-old officer was brought to court on May 13, 2022 for rape.

The charge read: “Olukayode Dayo raped a 13-year-old girl on 25th December 2021 at Ado Ekiti. The offence contravenes Section 31(2) of the Child Rights Act, Cap. C7, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.”

In her statement to the police, the victim, who lived with her grandmother, said: “I was sent home to fetch bananas and kola nut. On my way, a man named OluKay (the accused) came towards me on his motorcycle and dropped the bananas and kola nut on my head.

“He dragged me to a fenced, unfinished building. Despite my screams, he paid no attention. He took off my pants and started having sex with me. When a passerby who heard my voice came there, OluKay fled. The man tried to chase him, but he escaped. The man later took me to my grandmother’s house.”

The prosecutor, Julius Ajibare, called six witnesses and presented as evidence the statement of the accused, photographs of the victim and a medical report.

The accused, who was defended by his lawyer Oluwaseun Oyebanji and did not call any witnesses, denied committing the offence but asked the court for mercy in the interests of justice.

In his verdict, Judge Lekan Olatawura said: “In this case, the victim has consistently, clearly and unwaveringly stated that the accused, who was well known to her, was the person who raped her.”

The judge, who said the prosecutor had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused raped the minor on December 25, 2021, said: “All in all, I find him guilty as charged. For the foregoing, the accused is sentenced to life imprisonment.”