Lagos court sentences father, friend to life in prison for defiling 14-year old

A Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court sitting in Ikeja has sentenced a man, Adewale Ibitoye, to life imprisonment for defiling his 14-year-old daughter (names withheld).

Justice Abiola Soladoye also sentenced the first defendant’s friend, Moses Okrukpe to life imprisonment for also defiling the minor and for impregnating her at the age of 14.

Justice Soladoye held that the prosecution had convincingly proved the charge of defilement against the convicts.

She condemned the barbaric act of the first defendant for having sex with his underaged daughter several times before passing her to his friend for a pseudo-marriage, in exchange for N5,000 and a bottle of gin.

The judge said: “the survivor, testified that her father had sexual intercourse with her on several occasions and that her father gave her hand in marriage to the second convict after he visited their house and gifted her father, a bottle of gin.

“She said that the second defendant had sexual intercourse with her which led to pregnancy and the first defendant in his testimony, confirmed that he collected a bottle of gin from his friend as wedding rights.

“The testimony of the survivor was vivid and unshaken during cross-examination as the first prosecution witness, a pastor, testified before the court that the survivor lost the two-month old baby due to lack of care and malnutrition.

“The testimony of the third prosecution witness, a police investigative officer (IPO) also confirmed to the court that the survivor was 14 years when she started living with the second defendant as his wife and that he registered her in a local hospital in Ijebu Ode while she was pregnant with the baby,”

The judge maintained that a 14-year-old girl cannot give consent in a marriage and condemned the first defendant for engaging his daughter in the uncultured act.

She referred to the convicts as “beasts in human form” who should serve the remaining of their lives behind bars as they should not be seen among the sane in the society.

“The first convict who had a carnal knowledge of his own daughter is everything a father should not be. This is taboo and incest.

“He gave his underaged daughter out in marriage to his friend for a bottle of gin. This is highly irresponsible of him as responsible fathers are out there giving the best of education to their children.

“The most pathetic is that the survivor was made to go through torture by making her go through pregnancy at such early age.

“This act is very embarrassing, shameful and animalistic. A father having sexual intercourse with her daughter and passing her to his friend at age 14 over a bottle of gin is unthinkable.

“The convicts are hereby found guilty as charged and hereby sentenced to life imprisonment,” she said.

The judge said the convicts should have their names written in the Lagos State Sexual Offenders Register.

The prosecution led by, Olusola Soneye, presented three witnesses during the trial while the defendants testified as sole witnesses in the case.

According to the Prosecution, the convicts committed the offence sometimes in 2017 in Epe, Lagos, in violation of Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.