Court sentences civil defender to life imprisonment for raping minors

An Ekiti State High Court in Ado Ekiti has sentenced one Olukayode Dayo to life imprisonment for rape.

The 39-year-old convict was arraigned before Justice Lekan Olatawura on May 13, 2022 on a charge bordering on rape.

The charge alleges that Olukayode Dayo raped a 13-year-old girl on December 25, 2021, at Ado Ekiti within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court.

According to the prosecution, 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 said: “I was living with my grandmother. I was sent home to fetch bananas and kola nut. On my way home, a man named Olukay (the accused) came towards me on his motorcycle. He dropped the banana and kola nut on my head. He carried me to a fenced unfinished building. I screamed but he did not listen to me. He took off my trousers and started having sex with me. A passerby who heard my voice entered the premises. He fled without reprimanding the man. The man chased him but he could not catch him. The man came back and took me to my grandmother and explained to her what had happened to her,” she concluded.

To prove his case, prosecutor Julius Ajibare called six witnesses and presented as evidence the defendant’s statement, photographs of the victim and a medical report.

The accused defended himself through his lawyer Oluwaseun Oyebanji. He denied committing the offence but asked the court for mercy for justice and did not call any witnesses.

Delivering judgment, Judge Lekan Olatawura said that in this case, the victim had consistently, clearly and unwaveringly stated that the accused, who was well known to her, was the person who raped her.

In sum, it is proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused raped the 13-year-old girl on December 25, 2021, and therefore, I find him guilty as charged.
For the above reasons, the judge decided that the defendant should be sentenced to life imprisonment.