Justice Adeniyi Familoni of the Ekiti State High Court in Ado Ekiti has sentenced two teachers, Gbenga Ajibola, 43, and Olaofe Ayodele, 52, to 22 years imprisonment each for the r@pe of two minors. The defendants were arraigned on March 2, 2022, on three counts of r@pe and abuse of office.
The prosecution, led by Kunle-Shina Adeyemi, stated that the defendants r@ped two female students, aged 17 and 15, in November 2019 in Ado Ekiti. The offense violated Section 31(2) of the Child Rights Law, Cap. C7, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.
During the trial, one of the victims testified that Ajibola, her computer teacher, repeatedly harassed her in class. On the day of the incident, he instructed her to wear casual clothes and gave her N200 to wait for him at a filling station. Ajibola arrived with Olaofe, and both teachers took the victims to a hotel in the Oke-Ila area of Ado Ekiti, where they were separated into different rooms and assaulted.
The victim disclosed that Ajibola continued to harass her until she confided in her mother, who reported the matter. The prosecution presented four witnesses and submitted evidence, including victim and defendant statements, medical reports, and a panel of inquiry report.
The defense counsel, Lawrence Fasanmi, called six witnesses to argue the case.
In his judgment, Justice Familoni condemned the defendants for their actions, stating that they “shared their minds and numbed the voice of conscience” while taking advantage of the victims. He emphasized that the severity of their crimes warranted strict punishment to serve as a deterrent to others.
The judge sentenced the defendants to 20 years imprisonment each for the r@pe charges and an additional two years each for abuse of office, with no option of a fine. The sentences are to run concurrently.
