SCHOOL OF HORROR: TWO TEACHERS SENTENCED TO 44 YEARS FOR RAPE AND ABUSE OF STUDENT

 By Jonah Israel 

2 teachers bag 44 years imprisonment for raping minors in Ekiti

In a landmark judgment, the Ekiti State High Court has sentenced two teachers, Ajibola Gbenga (43) and Olaofe Ayodele (52), to 44 years in prison for raping two female students, aged 15 and 17, in November 2019.

The case, which has been ongoing for several years, has sparked widespread outrage and calls for greater accountability in the education sector. According to court documents, the defendants, who were teachers at a secondary school in Ado Ekiti, took advantage of their positions of authority to exploit and rape their victims.

The victims, who were minors at the time of the incident, testified in court that they were lured to a hotel in the Oke-Ila area of Ado Ekiti, where they were raped by the defendants. One of the victims recounted how Ajibola, her computer teacher, had been harassing her in class and eventually raped her at the hotel.

"The defendants seared their minds and mulled the voice of conscience as they took advantage of the victims with reckless abandon," said Justice Adeniyi Familoni in his judgment. "They deserve severe penal sanction for their misdeeds to serve as a warning to others who may want to follow in their footsteps."

The prosecution, led by Kunle-Shina Adeyemi, presented four witnesses and tendered several exhibits, including statements from the victims and defendants, medical reports, and the report of the Panel of Enquiry. The defense, on the other hand, called six witnesses and tendered exhibits to support their innocence.

However, the court found the defendants guilty of the charges brought against them. Justice Familoni sentenced Ajibola to 20 years in prison for the first count of rape, while Olaofe received a 20-year sentence for the second count of rape. Both defendants were also sentenced to two years in prison each for abuse of office, with the terms to run concurrently.

"Mr. Ajibola was my computer teacher; he always disturbed me while in class," the victim testified. "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."

The judgment has been hailed as a victory for justice and a testament to the commitment of the Ekiti State government to protecting the rights of minors. However, it has also raised concerns about the prevalence of sexual abuse in schools and the need for greater accountability and safeguards to prevent such incidents.

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