An Ekiti State High Court, Ado Ekiti Division, on Tuesday, sentenced two teachers to 44 years imprisonment for offences bordering on the rape of minors and abuse of office.
The defendants, Gbenga Ajibola (43) and Ayodele Olaofe (52), were arraigned on March 2, 2022, on three counts bordering on rape and abuse of office.
The charge stated, “The first defendant, sometime in November 2019, at Ado Ekiti, did rape a 17-year-old girl. Also, the second defendant some time in November 2019 did rape a 15-year-old girl, contrary to Section 31(2) of the Child Rights Law, Cap. C7, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.
“The defendants sometime in November 2019 at Ado Ekiti did abuse their offices as public servants, contrary to Section 104 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap. C16, Laws of Ekiti State 2012,” it added.
In her testimony before the court, one of the victims, who said Ajibola was her computer teacher, said, “On that fateful day, he told me to be in mufti, gave me N200 to go and wait for him in front of a filling station along the Bank Road, Ado Ekiti.
“He later came there alongside Mr Olaofe. Before they came, one of my classmates also came there. She 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. At the hotel, we were taken to different rooms where Mr Ajibola had sexual intercourse with me. 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”, the victim said.
The prosecutor, Kunle-Shina Adeyemi, called four witnesses and tendered statements of the victims and defendants, medical reports, and a report of the Panel of Enquiry among others as exhibits.
The defendants, who spoke in their defence through their lawyer, and called six witnesses, denied all allegations levelled against them, describing them as political. They tendered exhibits to support their innocence.
In the court judgement, Justice Adeniyi Familoni, who found the teachers guilty, said, “The defendants seared their minds and mulled the voice of 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.
“Therefore, Ajibola Gbenga is sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in count one without an option of fine, and Olaofe Ayodele is sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in count two without an option of fine. The two defendants are sentenced to two years imprisonment each in count three. The terms are to run concurrently,” the judge pronounced.
