Lagos High Court Sentences Man to Three Life Terms for Sexually Assaulting His Children

Sunday Ehigiator

A High Court in Lagos has sentenced Mr. Samuel Ademola Oladimeji to three concurrent life imprisonments for the offence of ‘sexual assault by penetration’ of his three children.

In a statement issued yesterday by the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (LagosDSVA), the Judge, Hon. Justice Abiola Soladoye of the Special Offences Court, under the Lagos State High Court system, stated that the prosecution had five witnesses in person of the three girls who had been sexually abused, their mother and the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) from llupeju Police Station, Family Support Unit.

It stated that the matter was reported to the Lagos DSVA after the mother noted that the children complained about pain in their private parts. They were then referred to Mirabel Centre for medical evaluation; sadly, the medical report confirmed that all girls had been sexually assaulted.

The Judge stated that the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses were unshaken, but that the defendant’s testimony did not add up because he was simply trying to distance himself from the allegations.

According to the statement, “The court held that the children were indeed sexually assaulted by ‘penetration’, and the prosecution had successfully discharged the onus of proving beyond reasonable doubt the commission of the offence.

“The culprit was then sentenced to three concurrent life imprisonment sentences. Justice Sholadoye also ordered that the name of the convict be entered into the Lagos State’s Sexual Offences Register.

Reacting to the sentence in the statement, the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (LagosDSVA) reiterated the state’s zero tolerance to domestic and sexual violence.

It said: “We use this medium to commend the family of the victims for staying with the cause even as we reiterate the state’s Zero Tolerance Stance, and insist that there is help for sexually abused survivors.

“Indeed, the wheel of justice is turning and perpetrators of these heinous crimes would be held accountable for their actions. Let’s continuously to break the culture of silence by reporting any case of domestic or sexual violence by calling our Toll Free Line at 08000333333.”