A High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti Stare on Monday sentenced a 47-year-old cleric, Prophet Adeleye Akingbaso, to life imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.
The defendant faced arraignment in September 2022 on a two-count charge related to rape and coercion.
The charge read, “The Prophet, sometime in July 2022, at Ado-Ekiti, did rape a 13-year-old girl. Also, in July 2021, Prophet Adeleye coerced the victim to engage in a sexual act to the detriment of her physical and psychological well-being.
“The offences are contrary to Section 31(2) of the Child’s Rights Law, Cap. C7, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012 and Section 4 of the Ekiti State Gender-Based Violence (Prohibition) Law, No.18 of 2019,” the charge stated.
While testifying in court, the victim stated that the cleric, a family friend of her mother, took advantage of her during a night stay at their home while her mother was away on night duty.
She said, “He woke me up at midnight and said I bedwetted, which was strange to me. He brought out a bottle of shea butter and rubbed it on my vagina; that was all I knew. I later discovered I had been raped that night. He threatened me that he would curse me and I would die if I told anybody.
“He came to our house again on the following day when my mother was not around. I was in the kitchen, and he told me he wanted to complete what he started the previous night. He attempted to rough-handle me, but I escaped and shouted for help, following which our neighbours came to my rescue. They called and informed my mother of the incident. She came home and later reported the case to the police”, the victim said.
To substantiate his case, the prosecutor, Taiwo Ariyo, presented four witnesses and submitted the victim’s statement along with a medical report as evidence. Meanwhile, the defendant, represented by his lawyer, Adelanke Akinrata, testified in his own defense but did not call any witnesses.
Delivering the verdict, Justice Blessing Ajileye convicted the cleric on both charges.
Ajikeye said, “In conclusion, this court has found the defendant guilty on the two-count charge of rape and coercion and convicted him accordingly. This will serve as a deterrent to others in the class of the defendant who has not been caught up by the nemesis of law.
“On count one (rape), the defendant is sentenced to life imprisonment and on count two (coercion), the defendant is sentenced to three years imprisonment. Justice Ajileye pronounced that both terms are to run concurrently.
