Hope James
A 62-year-old man, Daudu Jimoh, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Ekiti State High Court in Ado-Ekiti for raping a 9-year-old girl in Ilupeju-Ekiti.
The convict was arraigned before Justice Lekan Ogunmoye on the 5th of August 2020, on one count charge of rape.
The charge reads that Daudu Jimoh on 27/9/2019 at Ilupeju Ekiti within the jurisdiction of this honorable court did rape a nine (9) year old girl, contrary to Section 31(2) of the Child’s Rights Law, Cap. C7, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.
Testifying before the court, the victim said, “I attended a Nursery/Primary School in Ilupeju Ekiti, Baba cooler (the convict) was our landlord, he has been having sex with me four times before my sister caught us on that day.”
“Whenever he has sex with me, I’m always afraid to tell my mother because he had warned me not to tell anybody or else I will die, she concluded.
To prove his case, the prosecutor, Julius Ajibare called four witnesses and tendered defendant statements and medical report as exhibits while the convict spoke in his own defence through his counsel, Chris Omokhafe, he confessed to have committed the offence but denied penetrating her vagina.
In his judgment, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye said, the confessional statements of the defendant, both written and oral showed without equivocation that the defendant indeed committed the offence.
In all, the prosecution had proved his case beyond reasonable doubt against the defendant as charged.
The sole issue for determination is resolve in favour of the prosecution. He is convicted as charged.
‘’He is sentenced to life imprisonment.”