The Ikeja Sexual Offenses and Domestic Violence Court on Monday sentenced, an apprentice named Godwin Ogboniya to life imprisonment. The court found him guilty of sexually assaulting his employer’s 9-year-old daughter.
The offence, committed between 2019 and 2021 on Ogbewi Street, Cele Egbe in Ikotun, Lagos, was reported to the police by the victim’s father after she bravely shared her ordeal with him.
Justice Abiola Soladoye, who presided over the case, stated that the prosecution had successfully proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Ogboniya was guilty of the charge of sexual assault by penetration.
The Justice described Ogboniya as an “unkind and unworthy employee” who had been living with the victim’s family for three years.
The young victim identified Ogboniya in court as the man who had assaulted her multiple times when her parents were not at home.
She said, “he helps my daddy when nobody is around, carries me to the toilet and ask me to pee, takes me back to the parlour, puts his finger in my bum, and also put his penis in my vagina.”
Justice Soladoye praised the investigative police officer who tendered the medical report, describing her testimony as “detailed, upright and diligent.”
The Justice also noted that proof of injury or rupture of the hymen was not necessary in cases of sexual assault, as any form of penetration, however slight, was sufficient to prove the offence.
The court ordered that Ogboniya’s name be registered in the sexual offences register maintained by Lagos State.
Justice Soladoye also urged parents and guardians to be vigilant and not entrust their children to irresponsible adults like the defendant.
The state counsel, Ms Abimbola Abolade, presented four witnesses during the trial, while Ogboniya testified as the sole witness for the defence.
The crime violated Section 261 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
