- Safiu Kehinde
A 71-year-old man, Sule Adeola, has been sentence to life imprisonment by an Ekiti State High Court in Ado-Ekiti for raping best friend’s granddaughter.
The convict was arraigned before Justice Blessing Ajileye on June 22, 2023, on a charge of raping the minor.
In a judgment, Ajileye said, “it was unfortunate and saddening that recorded cases of intimate person’s sexual assault, hits new high every day.
” From the totality of evidence on record, I am more persuaded by the prosecution’s evidence that there was proof of penetration, there is no scintilla of evidence available in the contrary.
“In all, I found that the prosecution proved the most essential ingredient of rape, that is penetration.
“The defendant penetrated the vagina of the victim and I so hold.
“The defendant, Sule Adeola is found guilty of the offence of rape of a 10-year-old girl as charged.
“He is accordingly sentenced to life imprisonment.”
According to report, the charge read that Sule Adeola on June 2, 2023, at the Federal Housing Estate in Ado Ekiti raped a 10- year old girl.
The offence contravenes Section 31 (1) of the Child’s Right Law, Cap. C7, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.
In a testimony before the court the victim recounted how the septuagenarian has been taking advantage of her since 2021.
“the victim said, my mother is late and my father lives in Abeokuta. I am living with my grandmother.
“Daddy Sule is my grandmother’s neighbour.
“Anytime I was sent on an errand, he would call me to his room, ask me to lie on his bed, pulled down my pants and insert his penis in my vagina.
“He has been doing this every week since 2021.
“I felt so much pain anytime he did it, but I did not tell my grandmother because daddy Sule said he would kill me,” she said.
Prosecutor Julius Ajibare called four witnesses and tendered survivor’s statement and medical report as exhibits.
The Counsel for the defendant, Adelphi Ayobiooloja, led his client in evidence and called three witnesses.