By BOLANLE LAWAL

The Ekiti High Court in Ado Ekiti, on Tuesday, sentenced two teachers to 22 years imprisonment each for offence of rape.

The Prosecution, Mr Kunle-Shina Adeyemi told the court that the defendants, Gbenga Ajibola, 43, and Olaofe Ayodele, 52, were arraigned on March 2, 2022 on a three-count charge of rape and abuse of office.

He said that the defendants sometimes in Nov, 2019 in Ado-Ekiti raped two female students, aged 17 years and 15 years respectively (names withheld).

According to him, the offence contravened Section 31(2) of the Childs Right Law, Cap. C7, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.

In her testimony before the Court, one of the victims, said that one of the convicts, Ajibola was her Computer teacher, and always disturbed her while in class.

?On this fateful day, he told me to be in mufti and 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, but before they came, one of my classmates also met me there, she told me that Mr Olaofe asked her to wait there for him.

?When they came, we all left for a hotel, around 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, when I could no more bear it, I narrated what happened to my mother who later took the matter up,? she recounted.

To prove his case, the prosecution counsel called four witnesses and tendered statements of the victims and defendants, medical reports, as well as report of the Panel of enquiry among others as exhibits.

Also, Counsel to the defendants, Mr Lawrence Fasanmi called six witnesses to prove his case.

In his judgement, Justice Adeniyi Familoni said, the defendants shared their minds and numb the voice of conscience as they took advantage of the victims with reckless abandonment.

?They deserved severe sanction for their misdeeds to serve as a warning and deterrent to others who may want to follow their footsteps?.

Justice Familoni therefore sentenced the defendants, Ajibola and Olaofe to 20 years imprisonment each without an option of fine on count one and two years each on count two, without option of fine.

The judge said that the sentences should run concurrently. (NAN)

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