[adsense ad_id="inarticle"]

By Yetunde Ayobami Ojo

“The defendant’s action is condemnable and demonstrates man’s inhumanity to man. Your behaviour is outrageous, and there was no truth in your testimony.”
These were the words of Justice Abiola Soladoye of the Lagos Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, Ikeja as she sentenced a 27-year-old hairstylist, Ndubuisi Okorie, to life imprisonment for defiling a 15-year-old girl.

The judge found him guilty, as charged by the Lagos State government, and upheld the survivor’s testimony that Okorie had unlawful sexual intercourse with her in his tricycle.

The court held that the prosecution established, beyond reasonable doubt, the three key elements of the charge of defilement against the defendant. Justice Soladoye stated that the convict is a pathological liar who attempted to buy his way out of the offence.

“The survivor’s testimony remained unshaken when she testified before this court that the convict took her to another location and unlawfully had sexual intercourse after she boarded his tricycle.

“The admission of the defendant during his cross-examination showed he committed the offence,” the court held. The judge found him guilty of the charge of defilement and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

She ordered that the convict’s name be registered in the Sexual Offences Register of Lagos State. During the trial, the prosecuting counsel, Miss Abimbola Abolade, called two witnesses, the survivor and her mother, while the defendant testified alone.

The prosecution informed the court that Okorie committed the offence on June 3, 2020, at about 12.00 p.m. at Lateef Aregbe Street, Okota, in Lagos. His offence contravenes the provisions of Section 137 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.