The Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos State, on Tuesday, sentenced a man, Eniola Ibrahim, to life imprisonment for raping his girlfriend.

The survivor had, in her testimony, told the court that Ibrahim invited her to his house on Lateef Dosumu Street in Lagos, pinned her neck to his bed, and raped her 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 the defendant forced open her trouser zip, took nude pictures of her, and raped her.

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The Lagos State counsel, Inumidun, during the trial, called four witnesses through whom various documents were admitted into evidence while Ibrahim testified as the sole witness.

The lawyer said the convict committed the offence on June 6, 2012, at his residence on Lateef Dosumu Street in Lagos, adding that it contravened the provisions of section 260 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.

Ibrahim, who was arraigned on December 1, 2021, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Delivering judgement on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, Justice Rahmon Oshsodi declared that Ibrahim was guilty of having sexual intercourse with his girlfriend without her consent.

Justice Oshodi said the prosecution was able to demonstrate the application of force, intimidation, and threat when the defendant had sexual intercourse with the survivor.

He added that the defendant’s landlord’s testimony was sufficiently corroborated and also the weight of the medical report.

The judge 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.”

The Star