Two Bags 34 Years Imprisonment for Raping Minor in Ekiti
EMERGENCY DIGEST- Ekiti State High Court in Ado Ekiti has sentenced a 32-year old Martins Ifebuchi and 19-year old John Joseph to 34 years imprisonment for raping a minor.
The defendants were sentenced each to 17-year jail term on two-count charge of conspiracy and rape of a 15 -year -old girl on May 8, 2021, in Ajilosun area of Ado Ekiti.
In his judgment yesterday, Justice Adeniyi Familoni said: “Offence of rape is a heinous crime; an act of utmost inhumanity that is devastatingly damaging. It becomes worse when the victim is a person of tender years, as in this case.
“The defendants deserve such punishment that should serve as deterrent to others with similar tendencies.
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“Conclusively, I hold that the prosecution had successfully proved the alleged offences of conspiracy and rape against the defendants beyond reasonable doubt as required by law.
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“Consequently, the defendants are found guilty of the offences of conspiracy to rape and rape of the 15- year-old girl on May 8, 2021.
“The defendants are each sentenced to seven years imprisonment on the count of conspiracy, and 10 years imprisonment each on the count of ape without any option of fine.
“The sentences are to run concurrently with effect from the date of the judgment.
In her recorded statement, the victim said Martins had been using the itinerant nature of her mother’s business to sleep with her, with blood stain on her mother’s bed, the first day he forcefully had sexual intercourse with her, and warned the victim not to tell anybody, ant that if she does, she would die.
“Thereafter, the second defendant (John) came on holiday to his brother’s house, and also joined Martins in raping me.
“When I couldn’t bear it anymore, I explained to my mother, but instead of her raising the alarm, she did not, she pretended to have travelled as usual, when I was sleeping around 9 p.m. on that day, the defendants entered our room, they were in the process of undressing me, when my mother entered and caught them. They were arrested and handed over to the police,” she narrated.
To prove his case, the prosecution counsel, Kola Kolade, called three witnesses and tendered the medical report, statements of the victim, and defendants’ attestation form among others as exhibits
