Court sentences apprentice to life imprisonment for raping employer’s daughter

An Ikeja domestic violence and sexual offences court has sentenced Godwin Ogboniya, an apprentice, to life imprisonment for raping his employer’s nine-year-old daughter.

Abiola Soladoye, the trial judge, ruled that the prosecution team proved the one-count charge against the defendant beyond reasonable doubt.

The defendant was accused of raping his employer’s nine-year-old daughter.

In her ruling, Soladoye said the survivor recognised the defendant as the person who “inserted his finger” and “penis” in her vagina.

The judge said the defendant, who lived with the survivor’s father for three years, was an “unkind and unworthy employee who embarked on sexual frolicking with the nine-year-old girl”.

“The nine-year-old girl recognized the defendant in the dock as the man who sexually assaulted her on several occasions when her parents were not home,” the judge said.

“The survivor said and I quote ‘he helps my daddy when nobody is around, carries me to the toilet and asks me to pee, takes me back to the parlour, ‘puts his finger in my bumbum and also puts his penis in my vagina’.

“Upon careful review of the evidence adduced before this court both oral and documentary, the survivor’s testimony was lucidly corroborated with other prosecution witnesses which were very compelling.

“The investigative police officer, through whom the medical report was tendered, was very detailed, upright and diligent in her testimony.”

The judge said the defendant’s name should be included in the sexual offences register of the Lagos state government.