Osun Court Jails 70-Year Old Man 7 Years For Raping Pupils

An Osun State High Court sitting in Ilesa has sentenced a septuagenarian, Chief Moses Adeniyi, to seven years imprisonment for raping two teenage pupils.

The judgment is contained in a statement issued by the Information Officer of the Osun State Ministry of Justice, Mr. Opeyemi Bello, in Osogbo on Thursday.

Adeniyi, who is the Loja, Araromi Otokobo was arraigned in court on Mach 28 2011 was charged with rape and indecent assault.

The prosecution team from the Ministry of Justice: Tijani Adekilekun, who appeared along with Folasade Adekomi told the court that the convict offered a free ride to the girls, who were coming back from school and he drove them to his hotel where he raped the two teenagers one after the other.

They told the court that the two offences were contrary to the provisions of Sections 358 and 360 Criminal Code Cap 34 vol.11 Laws of Osun State.

Justice Kudirat Akano held that the prosecution counsels proved beyond reasonable doubt that Adeniyi unlawfully had carnal knowledge of the two girls and thereafter sentenced him to seven years imprisonment.

The statement explained further that Adeniyi, who was a former neighbour of the victims raped the two girls aged 13 and 14 who are pupils of St.Margaret Girls School Ilesa in May 2010.

Instead of taking them to their destination, Adeniyi was said to have taken them to his hotel and took them inside one of the hotel rooms where he raoed them and warned them not to shout or tell anybody about it.

After defiling them, he was said to have wiped their private parts with a piece of white cloth and warned them against telling anyone what happened to them. He was said to have threatened them that anyone who disclosed his action would die.

But one of the parents of the victims was sad to have been told that her daughter was given a free ride by a man and she went to inquire from the school who the man was.

The girls were said to be afraid but refused to disclose what Adeniyi did to them for fear of death.

They were said to be given an assurance by their teachers that nothing would happen to them if they told them what happened before they narrated their ordeal.

Punch