In a landmark judgment, an Ekiti State High Court has sentenced two teachers, Gbenga Ajibola (43) and Ayodele Olaofe (52), to 44 years imprisonment for raping two female students, aged 15 and 17, in November 2019.
The defendants were found guilty of offences bordering on rape of minors and abuse of office.
The charge against them reads, “The first defendant, sometime in November 2019 at Ado Ekiti did rape a 17-year-old girl. Also, the second defendant sometime in November 2019 did rape a 15-year-old girl, contrary to Section 31(2) of the Childs Right Law, Cap. C7, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.”
The victim further testified that they were taken to a hotel in the Oke-Ila area of Ado Ekiti, where Ajibola had sexual intercourse with her. “After that day, he continued to disturb me, and when I could no longer bear it, I narrated what happened to my mother, who later took the matter up.”
The prosecutor, Kunle-Shina Adeyemi, presented four witnesses and tendered several exhibits, including statements from the victims and defendants, medical reports, and reports from the Panel of Enquiry. The defendants, however, denied all allegations, describing them as political, and presented six witnesses in their defense.
Justice Adeniyi Familoni, who delivered the judgment, condemned the defendants’ actions, saying, “The defendants seared their minds and mulled the voice of the conscience as they took advantage of the victims with reckless abandon. They deserve severe sanction for their misdeeds to serve as a warning to others who may want to follow in their footsteps.”
Ajibola was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for count one, while Olaofe received the same sentence for count two. Both defendants were also sentenced to two years imprisonment each for count three, with the terms to run concurrently. This brings the total sentence to 44 years imprisonment for both defendants.
