The Lagos State High Court has jailed an Accounting Lecturer, Azeez Baruwa, for 21 years for raping a girl seeking admission into the University of Lagos.
Baruwa was a part-time lecturer at UNILAG when he committed the offence.
or raping an 18-year-old admission seeker.
Charged with one count of rape, he was sentenced by Justice Josephine Oyefeso.
According to ‘The Punch’, the victim scored 211 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and nursed the ambition of studying Mass Communication at UNILAG,.
After she failed to meet the varsity’s cut-off mark, her father approached Baruwa for help.
Baruwa reportedly agreed to help and took the victim to the school on July 23, 2015.
He, however, raped her around 9.25am in Room 8 at the Faculty of Business Administration Annex.
The victim was said to have reported to her parents, as a rights group took up the case, which led to the arrest of the suspect.
The case was later charged to court.
Delivering her judgement on Thursday, Justice Oyefeso held that the convict understood the gravity of the offence and the consequences of his action.
She said, “The offence committed against this young lady was a violation of her chastity, which would have left huge emotional scars from which I pray and hope she will recover.
“I cannot begin to imagine the physical and mental trauma she has had to endure from the man whom she considered her father’s friend, a community leader who should have known better. This is a shame.
“This is a crime that not only offends the survivor, it offends her family, it offends the society at large, it also offends God.
“I find you, Baruwa Afeez Akin, guilty of the one count of rape contrary to Section 258(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2011, and hereby convict you accordingly.
“In line with Section 258 of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2011, Baruwa Afeez Akin is hereby sentenced to 21 years’ imprisonment.”
Reacting to the judgement of the court, the Director of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, Yhaqub Oshoala, commended the judge.
