Emmanuel Akosile | 绿帽献妻

An Ikeja High Court, in Lagos State, Nigeria, Thursday sentenced Akin Afeez Baruwa, a former part-time lecturer at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka-Yaba, to 21 years in prison for raping an admission seeker.

Reports indicate that convicted Baruwa was said to have sexually assaulted his victim, who was then 18 years old July 23, 2015.

The young lady was said to have gone to his office at Room 8, Faculty of Business Administration annex building, UNILAG, to seek his help in gaining an admission into the institution of learning when he took advantage of her.

It is recalled that Baruwa was first arraigned in court on October 18, 2016.

Agency report relates that Justice Josephine Oyefeso described the former 45-year-old UNILAG lecturer鈥檚 action as 鈥榟einous鈥� while sentencing him.

Justice Oyefeso held that the sentence should serve as a deterrent to others in the habit of sexually harassing admission seekers, and students in various levels of education in the country.

鈥淭he 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.

鈥淚 cannot begin to imagine the physical and mental trauma she has had to endure from the man who she considered her father鈥檚 friend, a community leader who should have known better. This is a shame! Oyefeso said.

She stated that the offence Baruwa committed is 鈥渁 crime that not only offends the survivor, it offends her family, it offends the society at large, it also offends God.

鈥淢ore painful here is that the convict gave the family the impression that he was a lecturer at UNILAG, but his services were only needed on an ad-hoc basis by the university.

The Justice said that the convict gave the impression that he could assist in giving his victim a University admission whereas he could not.

鈥淗e used the vulnerability of this young girl to his selfish advantage.

In the course of prosecution, the complainant (victim) had told the court that her father took her to Baruwa鈥檚 home certain morning for the purpose of helping her to gain an admission into UNILAG.

She said that while in his office on campus, Baruwa told her to pick up a piece of paper from the floor and forcefully pushed her on a couch and raped her.

The complainant further said that she was a virgin and never had a boyfriend before the rape that occurred three months away from her 19th birthday then.

In his defence on May 31, 2019, Baruwa described himself a community service leader at Abesan, Lagos, and academic, who worked as a project supervisor at the Distant Learning Institute (DLI) of UNILAG from 2010 to 2015.

According to Justice Oyefeso, 鈥淚n line with Section 258 of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2011, Baruwa Afeez Akin is hereby sentenced to 21 years鈥� imprisonment.

鈥淭he evidence before me overwhelmingly shows that the sexual intercourse between PW3 (complainant) and DW1 was not consensual; I so hold.

鈥淭he court is satisfied that the prosecution has been able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

鈥淚 find you Baruwa Afeez Akin guilty of a one-count charge of rape contrary to Section 258(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2011, and I hereby convict you accordingly,鈥� she said.