Ilesanmi Adewale, 42, will spend the rest of his life in prison after he was found guilty of rape by an Ekiti State High Court in Ado Ekiti.
Adewale a commercial driver was handed the sentence Monday, by Justice Monisola Abodunde after the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that he forcibly had sex with a 16-year-old girl in Isan Ekiti, Oye Local Government area of Ekiti State.
“Based on the above reasoning and in strict adherence with the provisions of the law, I have no alternative than to sentence the defendant to life imprisonment and I so hold,” the Judge stated.
The incident happened on February 13, 2021 and the accused was arraigned on December 16, 2021 charged with raped a 16-year-old girl, contrary to Section 31(2) of the Child’s Right Law, Cap. C7, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.
The victim in her testimony narrated: “My father sent me to Iludun Ekiti from Isan Ekiti to bring his ATM card and N8,000 he kept at home. On my way back to Isan, I boarded the commercial driver’s car, I was alone with him in the car. He first touched my breast and I cautioned him to stop it.
“On getting to a bush between Isan and Iludun, when he stopped the car, I opened the door and ran away. He pursued and caught me, he carried me on his shoulder to a nearby bush. He threatened to kill me with the cutlass in his hand if I refused to cooperate. He removed my pant and forcibly had sexual intercourse with me. I bit his hands and tore his cloth as I cried, but he refused to leave me.
“Then, he had collected my father’s ATM card and N8,000 from me. When he returned them to me, he begged me not to tell my father. But as I got back to the road, I saw my father on a motorcycle, I narrated what happened to him, the driver was arrested and later taken to the Police station,” she stated.
In separate case a 55-year-old woman, Cecilia Idowu was arraigned at an Akure Magistrate’s Court for allegedly killing her tenant and dumping his remains in a well in the Oge area of Akodo, Ondo state.
Miss Idowu was alleged to have given the tenant Stephen Haruna palm oil to drink. The body was discovered by neighbors who raised alarm. The suspect was arrested by police. According to Police prosecutor, Simon Wada, the suspect conspired with others at large to commit the offence
He said, “My Lord, the woman and the deceased were the only occupants of the house and she confessed to seeing him when he returned home by 10:00pm.
“A calabash filled with palm oil was found in the woman’s apartment.”
Presiding Magistrate, Musa Al-Yunnus, adjourned the case to October 31 for ruling on the remand application.
