Lagos Court Jails Ex-Teacher for Life Over Defilement of Eight-Year-Old Pupil

A Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja has handed a life sentence to Nwatu Isaac, who previously worked as both a teacher and a motorcycle operator at El-Bossaa Nursery and Primary School in Epe, Lagos State. He was convicted of defiling an eight-year-old pupil on the school premises.

Justice Rahman Oshodi delivered the sentence after finding Isaac guilty of defilement, an offence that violates Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

In the judgment, Justice Oshodi concluded that the prosecution had proven beyond reasonable doubt that Isaac, who had taught the underage girl in the past, lured her into the school's male toilet on 10 March 2022 and unlawfully had sexual intercourse with her.

The judge further directed that Isaac's name be recorded in the Sex Offenders Register, in line with the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency Law, 2021.

Led by Inumidun Solarin, the prosecution called five witnesses. These included the survivor, her mother, police investigators, and a medical doctor from the Mirabel Centre.

The survivor, who was nine years old when she gave her testimony, told the court that Isaac, whom she referred to as "Master Isaac", asked her to go to the male toilet to collect a piece of paper. According to her account, once she entered, Isaac pushed her inside, locked the door, and sexually assaulted her. She also stated that he threatened to kill her if she told anyone about what happened.

She further testified that she bled after the assault and that Isaac cleaned the blood before letting her leave the toilet.

Her mother later found blood on the girl's underwear and genital area after she came home from school, which prompted her to report the matter.

Medical evidence was also brought before the court. Dr Olubukola Olatunji, a medical doctor with the Mirabel Centre, gave testimony about the results of the child's examination, which the prosecution said were consistent with penile penetration.

The defence team, headed by Anthony Agadah, presented eight witnesses and argued that Isaac was not at the school on the day the offence was said to have occurred. Justice Oshodi, however, rejected this account, pointing to inconsistencies in the evidence given by the defence witnesses. The judge also observed that Isaac's own testimony placed him at the school at the relevant time.

Justice Oshodi found the child's testimony credible and held that it was sufficiently supported by other evidence presented in court.

While sentencing Isaac, the judge highlighted the seriousness of the offence and the breach of trust, noting that the victim knew him as a teacher and trusted him. The court found that Isaac took advantage of that trust to lure the child into the toilet and commit the offence.

Justice Oshodi also took into consideration the threat reportedly made to the child after the assault and the convict's absence of remorse.

The sentencing hearing also took another turn when the victim's mother, speaking through the prosecution, raised concerns that some staff of El-Bossaa Nursery and Primary School had allegedly intimidated her and her daughter in and around Epe.

In reaction, Justice Oshodi instructed the prosecution to act immediately under the Victim Assistance and Witness Protection Law, 2022, to make sure the victim and her family were protected and given the support they needed.

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