From Wole Balogun, Ado- Ekiti
An Ado-Ekiti High Court has sentenced a local government staff, Ojo Ayodele, to life imprisonment for kidnapping and raping a 15-year-old girl (names withheld).
Ayodele was said to have abducted the minor in Ijero-Ekiti. He took her to a secret location in the town, where he subjected her to forceful sexual assault for three weeks.
Justice Oluwatoyin Abodunde found Ayodele guilty as charged and sentenced him to jail for life on the charges of rape and kidnapping; the terms are to run concurrently.
Director of Public Prosecution, Gbemiga Adaramola, prosecuted the case on behalf of the state, while Tosin Osundahunsi represented the convict.
Ayodele was first arraigned on February 2, 2016, on a two-count charge of rape and abduction.
The prosecution called seven witnesses during the trial and tendered exhibits, which included statements of the victim and the convict, and a medical report that established the rape, among others.
The convict did not call any witness in the course of the trial.
A Good Samaritan, who saw bloodstains on the victim’s clothes, had taken her to Ijero Local Government Area immigration office to report the case.
Ayodele was arrested at the council secretariat, as the victim identified him as her abductor who subjected her to serial rape.
The immigration officers promptly arrested the convict and took him to Ijero Police Station, where the case was reported.