Man jailed four years over sexual assault of minor

A Lagos court has sentenced a man to four years in prison for indecent treatment and sexual assault of a minor.

Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court in Ikeja found Onyeka Ubaka guilty of the two-count charge brought against him by the state government.
Ubaka was accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl, who he had been in a relationship with, on multiple occasions.

The court heard that he had given her a yoghurt drink, which caused her to lose consciousness, after which he took her to a hotel and had non-consensual intercourse with her. This resulted in the victim becoming pregnant and giving birth to a child.

Ubaka initially pleaded not guilty to the charges when he was arraigned in January 2024. However, at a subsequent hearing, he changed his plea to guilty after engaging in a plea bargain agreement with the prosecution.

Justice Oshodi, before sentencing, questioned Ubaka to ensure he understood the implications of his guilty plea and the potential maximum sentence. Ubaka confirmed that he understood and was satisfied with the advice of his counsel.

The judge sentenced Ubaka to four years imprisonment, starting from the date of his remand. He also ordered that Ubaka’s name be added to the sex offenders register.