An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has sentenced a 49-year old Dele Adeyanju to four years imprisonment for raping a minor.
The convict was arraigned on one-count charge for raping an 11-year old girl in September, 2019 before Justice Bamidele Omotoso.
Delivering his judgment, Justice Omotoso said: “I resolved the sole issue in favor of the prosecution and against the defendant.
“Finally, I hold that the prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt the allegation of rape against the defendant. He is accordingly convicted as charged.
“Consequently, the defendant, Mr. Dele Adeyanju, is hereby sentenced to four years imprisonment without an option of fine.
“The term of the imprisonment shall begin to run from 17th of March, 2021 when his bail was revoked by this court and was ordered to be remanded in custody of the Nigeria Correctional Center, Ado Ekiti.”
According to the charge preferred against him, Adeyanju on January 14, 2019, at Omuo Ekiti, in Ekiti East Local Government Area of Ekiti State, did rape a minor. The offence contravened Section 31 of the Child’s Right Law, Cap. C7, Laws of Ekiti State of Nigeria, 2012.
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The victim of the rape said in her statement to the police that “I am a Junior Secondary School One student. I came back from school on that day, after eating I went out to hawk gaari as I used to do after school hour. When I got to the other street, one man called me and bought gaari worth of N100.
“When I bent down to carry my gaari container, he held me from back and covered my mouth with his hand. I struggled with him but he overpowered me. He carried me to his room; he removed my pant forcefully, I was shouting and crying, he asked me to stop shouting.”
When I refused, he used towel to cover my mouth and forcefully had sex with me.
“Thereafter, I started bleeding seriously. When I got home, I did not tell my parents because I was afraid of what they will do to me. But when I cannot bear the pain, I explained to my mother. My mother took me to the police station in Omuo Ekiti to report the case and later took me to hospital for medical treatment and attention.”
In her testimony, the victim’s mother said that when “I saw my daughter after searching for a long time, she was not wearing pant and have blood stains on her cloth.”
To prove his case, the prosecutor, Barrister Akinola Abon, called four witnesses and tendered statement of the defendant and a medical report as exhibits.