A former teacher, Nwatu Isaac, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja for defiling an eight-year-old pupil inside a school toilet in Epe.
Justice Rahman Oshodi handed down the sentence after finding Isaac guilty of sexually assaulting the girl at El-Bossaa Nursery and Primary School on March 10, 2022.
The judge held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, establishing that the victim was a child and that Isaac had sexual intercourse with her.
Isaac was prosecuted under Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, which provides for life imprisonment for unlawful sexual intercourse with a child.
Justice Oshodi also ordered that Isaac’s name be entered in the Sex Offenders Register in line with the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency Law 2021.
The convict had denied being inside the school premises on the day of the incident, claiming that he only went there to pick up pupils he transported on his motorcycle and remained at the gate.
But the judge rejected the claim, noting that Isaac’s own evidence placed him at the school at the relevant time, while the victim identified him as the person who took her into the toilet.
The court also dismissed his alibi defence.
“On the convict’s own admission, he was not at a considerable distance from the scene. He was at its gate,” Justice Oshodi held.
The judge said the victim’s evidence placed Isaac inside the school premises and therefore undermined his alibi.
Justice Oshodi described the girl’s testimony as clear, detailed and coherent, noting that she identified Isaac, whom she knew as “Master Isaac”, in court.
The judge said her account remained consistent despite lengthy cross-examination.
The prosecution also called the girl’s mother, who testified that she noticed blood on her daughter’s underwear and vagina after the child returned from school.
Medical evidence presented to the court further supported the prosecution’s case.
A doctor who examined the girl at the Mirabel Centre found vaginal injuries consistent with penetration, including an easily dilatable introitus, absent hymen and marked laxity of the anal sphincter.
Justice Oshodi rejected the defence argument that the prosecution’s failure to conduct DNA or sperm testing weakened the case.
According to the judge, the medical findings provided corroboration for the evidence of penetration.
The court also dismissed a suggestion by the defence that the girl might have been abused by her stepsister, describing the claim as speculation.
Another defence attempt also failed after the court rejected an audio recording in which a teacher claimed the girl later said the incident was a dream.
The judge noted that the teacher had initially rejected the girl’s allegation and questioned her until she denied that the incident had happened.
Justice Oshodi held that the subsequent denial could not be treated as a free or reliable statement.
The court equally rejected a survey report tendered by the defence to argue that the school toilet was too small for the alleged offence.
The judge noted that the survey was conducted more than three years after the incident and during the court proceedings, at the instance of Isaac.
He also pointed to conflicting testimony from defence witnesses over the number of toilets in the school and noted that the surveyor could not establish that the toilet measured was the same one involved in the allegation.
Isaac’s claim that the case was driven by tribal sentiment was also rejected.
Justice Oshodi said there was no evidence of previous hostility between Isaac and the girl’s family.
In fact, the court noted that the victim’s mother had previously given Isaac a gift after he taught her daughter.
In his final finding, the judge held that the prosecution had established that Isaac sexually penetrated the girl inside the male toilet of the school.
During sentencing, Justice Oshodi said Isaac had abused the trust placed in him by the child, her family and other parents who entrusted their children to him for transportation.
The judge said Isaac exploited that trust by taking the girl into the toilet and committing the offence.
He also noted that Isaac had consistently denied the offence throughout the trial and attempted to attribute the prosecution to tribal sentiment.
Justice Oshodi stressed that the court had a duty to protect children and ensure that sexual abuse attracted the full force of the law.
Isaac was consequently sentenced to life imprisonment.
The judge further directed the prosecution to take immediate steps under the Victim Assistance and Witness Protection Law 2022 to secure whatever protection and support the victim and her family may require.
The order followed a complaint by the girl’s mother during the sentencing hearing that staff of El-Bossaa Nursery and Primary School had allegedly continued to intimidate her and her daughter in Epe.
However, Justice Oshodi made it clear that the court made no finding on that complaint.
The prosecution was led by Inumidun Solarin, assisted by B.E. Okeowo and I.E. Balogun, while Anthony O. Agadah represented Isaac.
E.I. Ukpabio held a watching brief for the nominal complainant.
Don’t Miss Out! Join our WhatsApp Channel for instant news updates. Click here to join