Two teachers jailed 44 years for raping students

Two teachers jailed 44 years for raping students

An Ekiti State High Court in Ado Ekiti has sentenced two teachers to 44 years imprisonment for raping their students.

The defendants Ajibola Gbenga (43) and Olaofe Ayodele (52) were arraigned before Justice Adeniyi Familoni on March 2, 2022, on three-count charges bordering on rape and abuse of office.

The charge reads that the defendants, sometime in November 2019 at Ado Ekiti within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, did rape a 17-year-old girl, also the 2nd defendant sometime in November 2019, did rape a 15-year-old girl, contrary to section 31(2) of the Childs Right Law, Cap. C7, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.

The charge further reads that the defendants, sometime in November 2019 at Ado Ekiti, did abuse their offices as Public Servants, contrary to Section 104 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap. C16, Laws of Ekiti State 2012.

In her testimony before the Court, one of the victims said Mr Ajibola was my Computer teacher; he always disturbed me while in class; on this fateful day, he told me to be in mufti.

He gave me N200 to go and wait for him in front of a filling station along Bank Road.

He later came there alongside Mr Olaofe. Before their arrival, one of my classmates also met me there; he told me Mr Olaofe asked her to wait there for him.

When they came, we all left for a hotel, around the Oke-Ila area of Ado Ekiti. On getting there, we were taken to different rooms where Mr. Ajibola had sexual intercourse with me.

After that day, he continued to disturb me, and when I could no longer bear it, I narrated what happened to my mother, who later took the matter up, she concluded.

To prove his case, the prosecutor, Kunle-Shina Adeyemi called four witnesses and tendered statements of the victims and defendants, medical reports, report of the panel of inquiry among others as exhibits while the defendants spoke in their own defense through their lawyer, Lawrence Fasanmi, and called six witnesses, they denied all allegations levied against them.

In his judgment, Justice Familoni said the defendants seared their minds and mulled the voice of the conscience as they took advantage of the victims with reckless abandon.

They deserve severe panel sanctions for their misdeeds to serve as a warning to others who may want to follow in their footsteps.

Therefore, Ajibola Gbenga is sentenced to twenty years imprisonment in count one without the option of a fine, Olaofe Ayodele is sentenced to twenty years imprisonment in count two without the option of a fine, while the two defendants are sentenced to two years imprisonment each in count three, the terms are to run concurrently, Justice Familoni said.