The Ekiti State High Court in Ado Ekiti, on Tuesday, sentenced two teachers to 44 years imprisonment for offence of rape without an option of fine.
The court held that the defendants – Gbenga Ajibola (43) and Olaofe Ayodele (52) – took advantage of the victims with reckless abandon.
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“They deserved severe panel sanction for their misdeeds to serve as a warning and deterrent to others who may want to follow their footsteps,” the judge, Adeniyi Familoni.
The judge thereby sentenced the defendants to 20 years imprisonment each without an option of fine on count one and two years each on count two without option of fine.
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The judge said the sentences should run concurrently, implying that they would each spend 20 years in jail.
The prosecution led by Kunle-Shina Adeyemi told the court that the defendants, raped two female students aged 15 and 17 years (names withheld) sometimes in November 2019.
The offenders were arraigned before trial judge Adeniyi Familoni on 2 March 2022 on three counts of rape and abuse of office.
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According to him, the offence contravened Section 31(2) of the Childs Right Law, Cap. C7, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.
In her testimony during trial, one of the victims said that Mr Ajibola was her Computer teacher, and always disturbing her during classes.
“On this fateful day, he told me to be in mufti and gave me N200 to go and wait for him in front of a filling station along Bank Road.
“He later came there alongside Mr Olaofe, but before they came, one of my classmates also met me there. He told me that Mr Olaofe asked her to wait there for him.
“When they came, we all left for a hotel, around the Oke-Ila area of Ado Ekiti. On getting there, we were taken to different rooms where Mr Ajibola had sexual intercourse with me.
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“After that day, he continued to disturb me. When I could no longer bear it, I narrated what happened to my mother who later took the matter up,” she narrated.
To prove his case, the prosecutor called four witnesses and tendered statements of the victims and defendants, medical reports, as well as the report of the panel of enquiry, among others as exhibits.
Also, defence lawyer Lawrence Fasanmi called six witnesses to defend his clients.
( NAN)
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