Vulcaniser Sentenced For Life For Defiling 7-Year-Old Niece

A 29-year-old vulcanizer, Idowu Gbolahan was on Monday sentenced to life imprisonment by an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court For defiling his 7-year-old niece and primary school pupil (name withheld), ,.

The sentence was handed down by Justice Abiola Soladoye following Gbolahan’s plea of guilty upon arraignment.

Justice Soladoye said the sentence would serve as a deterrent to others especially as the state government was making efforts to rid the streets of paedophiles.

She said: “An offence against a child is a violation of her chastity and I cannot imagine the emotional and physical scars she will endure for the rest of her life.

“Idowu Ismail Gbolahan, male, is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment, this is the sentence of this honourable court.”

According to her, ”The defendant was arraigned today in court and he pleaded guilty to the one-count charge of defilement of a child contrary to Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos 2015.

“The defendant, upon arraignment, admitted to defiling the victim who is a seven-year-old child.

“I have listened carefully to the allocutus of his defence counsel, Mr Kelechi Obi. The offence in question is a strict liability offence.

Gbolahan lives at No. 44, Sanusi St., Shomolu Lagos and his sentence is the first to be handed down by

Justice Soladoye since she resumed as a judge of the court in September 2018.

Earlier Mrs Fehinti Ogbemudia, the lead state prosecutor while addressing the court, said the complainant had come visiting her grandmother on Aug. 11, 2018 at No. 50, Morocco Road, Shomolu, Lagos when the defendant defiled her.

“My Lord, the victim on this fateful day went to her grandmother’s room to drink some water and was suddenly carried by the defendant into a room where he shut the door on her.

“It is further alleged that he removed her pants and had sexual intercourse with her.

“My Lord, the victim’s screams attracted a neighbour, one Esther Ufot who came to the victim’s rescue.

“My Lord, the defendant made a confessional statement and the victim was then referred to the Mirabel Center of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) for medical examination to corroborate her statement.

“Relying on the provisions of Sections 201 (1) (2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2015, it is the prosecution’s humble submission that the defendant be convicted based on his plea of guilty and sentenced accordingly,” Ogbemudia said.

She also noted that Gbolahan’s confessional statement and the Mirabel Center medical report on the complainant were attached to the prosecution’s proof of evidence.