By Francesca Hangeior
An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, has sentenced a 53-year-old rubber trader, Kenneth Mba, to life imprisonment for defiling a friend’s 12-year-old daughter.
Justice Rahman Oshodi, in his judgement, held that the prosecution proved the charge of defilement against the convict beyond a reasonable doubt.
The judge handed down the verdict after finding Mr Mba guilty of the offence of defilement of a minor.
The presiding judge said the convict’s confessional statement indicates that he defiled the survivor in his room three times and gave her N200 each time after sex was corroborated with the survivor’s testimony.
He, however, said his oral evidence to deflate the charge did not hold water. Mr Oshodi referred to the convict as a pathological liar whose testimony was an afterthought as his testimony lacked credibility.
He said the convict betrayed the trust the survivor’s father had for him, as they had been friends for over 20 years. The judge held that the evidence of the survivor was unequivocal, straight forward and full of clarity. The judge also held that the confessional statement was consistent with the evidence before the court.
“I must accept that his confessional statement is true, as it is consistent, unequivocal and corroborated by the prosecutor’s evidence. The medical report also corroborated the prosecution witness evidence,” he said
Mba was then convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. The judge also ordered that the convict’s name be registered in the Lagos State Sexual Offences Register.
“You have been convicted of defilement and the offence is grave. You, at the age of 51, had sex with your friend’s daughter, whom you knew was 12 years old. Despite the overwhelming evidence before the court, you came to lie in your oral evidence.”
Mr Oshodi held that the charge against him carried a mandatory sentence.
“I hereby sentence you to life imprisonment. You shall serve your term in the Ikoyi Custodial Centre, where you are currently being held,” he said
The state counsel, Inumidun Solaarin, presented three witnesses, while the convict testified as a sole witness.
Ms Solaarin submitted that the convict committed the offence sometime in April 2021 on Ogunjimi Street, Iwaya, Yaba Lagos.