A teacher identified as John Osifo has been sentenced to a life imprisonment by the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court for defiling his eight-year-old student.
Osifo was arraigned by the police in January 2022 on a one-count charge of defilement of a minor to which he pleaded not guilty to the offence he allegedly committed between May 2020 and June 2021, by having unlawful sex with a minor aged eight years at different occasions.
The victim told the court that during the COVID-19 lock down how the accused who was organising home lessons for her and her brother, would send her brother outside to do his homework and then he undressed her in the sitting room and pushed “ his wee wee into her wee wee.” She testified that blood came out her vagina and he took her to the bathroom to wash up and threaten to kill her if she tells anyone.
Apart from the incident in the living room she narrated that the teacher also had sex with her in the school during break time. She provided a distinctive detail stating that the defendant would use a red handkerchief to clean water that had come out afterwards.
Delivering his judgement presiding judge Justice Ramon Oshodi said: “You stand convicted of defilement contrary to Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.
” This section prescribed life imprisonment for anyone who has sexual intercourse with a child. The gravity of this offence cannot be overstated.
“As a teacher, you occupy a position of trust which you breached, you exploited not only the vulnerability of an eight-year-old child but also took advantage of the COVID-19 lockdown when you went to her house to take lessons.
“Most troubling is the calculated nature of your actions. You systematically manipulated a child, threatening her into silence and continued to abuse her over an extended period.
“A psychological impact on the child is well-documented, instead of showing remorse, you chose to fabricate elaborate stories and false accusations even against the child’s mother alleging that she tried to seduce you, demonstrating a lack of appreciation of the gravity of your action. The law prescribes life imprisonment for this offence recognising society’s need to protect its most vulnerable members. Accordingly, I sentence you to life imprisonment under Section 137 of the Criminal Law, you shall also be registered as a sex offender,” he stated.
