Court sentences Lagos man to life imprisonment for raping girlfriend

Eniola Wasiu Ibrahim, a resident of Lagos, was given a life sentence for coercing his fiancée into having sex with him in his home on Lateef Dosumu Street.

The crime was reportedly perpetrated by Ibrahim in June 2021. On December 1, 2021, he was charged and entered a not-guilty plea.

In her testimony, the survivor informed the court that the defendant had welcomed her to his home, pinned her neck to his bed, and then sexually assaulted her when she arrived on a Sunday afternoon.

She said: “When I got to his house, we entered his house. The defendant’s house is a room and parlour. So, I sat in the parlour, and he told me that he was happy that I came to his house.

“He asked me what I wanted to eat and I told him I have had something to eat.

“I told him I did not want to stay long and then he locked the door and carried me to the room,” she said.

She claimed he raped her after forcing open the zip on her pants and taking a photo of her in her underwear.

According to the state, the offence was against section 260 of the Lagos State Criminal Laws from 2015.

On Tuesday, Ibrahim was convicted of rape by an Ikeja Sexual Offenses and Domestic Violence Court presided over by Justice Rahmon Oshsodi.

In his ruling, Oshodi stated that the prosecution had established the elements necessary to establish the crime of rape.

He claimed that the prosecution was able to prove that the defendant used force, threats, and intimidation on the survivor throughout their sexual encounter.

He claimed that the weight of the medical report and the evidence of the defendant's landlord were properly corroborated.

“We have critically reviewed all the materials, consisting of the written submissions of counsel already identified and the entire record of proceedings.

“The court has also taken into cognizance remarks made by the defendant that he loves the victim.

“ I have listened to your counsel’s submission that I should have mercy on you and I have also considered the prosecution’s request that I must sentence you by section 260 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State (supra).

” You must not hurt people that you love. The evidence, in this case, demonstrates that you did not just rape the victim but you did it in a ferocious and animalistic way.

“You hit her on the face which made it swollen. She had bloody eyes and swollen lips.

“You pinned her neck to your bed and raped her. A man like you, who has committed sexual violence against a woman, should be ashamed and must be punished,” he said.

“Our laws in Lagos State have zero tolerance for sexual crimes and the charge of rape, for which you have been convicted, carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment, which sends a signal that it is unacceptable.

“In your case, I do consider the seriousness of the offence to justify a life sentence and that is the sentence I must, therefore, impose upon you.

“Accordingly, I sentence you, Mr Eniola Wasiu Ibrahim to life imprisonment,” Rahmon said.

The court further mandated that the convict's name be added to the Lagos State Sexual Offenders Register as a sex offender.

Source