Justice Blessing Ajileye of the Ado-Ekiti Division of the Ekiti State High Court, on Monday, sentenced a so-called prophet, Adeleye Akingbaso, to life imprisonment for raping a 13-year-old girl.
The victim, in court testimony, said the ‘prophet’ was her mother’s lover who spent some nights in their house.
“But on a particular day, my mummy was on night duty, Prophet Adeleye came to sleep in our house,” said the girl. “He woke me up at midnight and said I bedwetted, which was strange to me. He brought out a bottle of shea butter and rubbed it on my vagina. That was all I knew.
She added, “I later discovered I had been raped that night. He threatened me that he would curse me and I would die if I told anybody. He came to our house again the following day when my mother was not around. I was in the kitchen.
“He told me he wanted to complete what he started the previous night. He attempted to rough-handle me, but I escaped and shouted for help, following which our neighbours came to my rescue. They called and informed my mother of the incident. She came home and later reported the case to the police.”
The prosecutor, Taiwo Ariyo, presented four witnesses, the victim’s statement and medical report as exhibits to the court.
“In conclusion, this court has found the defendant guilty on the two-count charge of rape and coercion and convicted him accordingly. This will serve as a deterrent to others in the class of the defendant who have not been caught up by the nemesis of law.”
“On count one (rape), the defendant is sentenced to life imprisonment and on count two (coercion), the defendant is sentenced to three years imprisonment. Both terms are to run concurrently,” the judge ruled.
