Vice principal bags life jail for raping teenager

An Ekiti High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced former Vice Principal of St. Mary’s Girls Grammar School, Ikole-Ekiti, Taiwo Ajayi, to life imprisonment for raping a 12-year-old student (name withheld). He was convicted for breaching Section 31(2) of the Child Rights Law of Ekiti State 2012.

Ajayi, who was Vice Principal (Academics) at the time of the offence on March 18, 2014, was said to have lured the girl into his office, locked the door and raped her, stuffing her mouth with a cloth.

Justice Oluwatoyin Abodunde held that the prosecution proved their case beyond every reasonable doubt.

Mr. A.E. Arogundade of the Ministry of Justice led the prosecuting team while the defence was headed by Mr. Sule Longe.

The convict was first arraigned in court on October 14, last year and pleaded not guilty to the charge.

In the judgment, Justice Abodunde rejected the defence team’s plea for leniency praying that the convict was a first offender, father and breadwinner of an aged mother.

The prosecution called eight witnesses, including a medical practitioner from the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, investigating police officers, two other pupils and a teacher.

Exhibits tendered were a medical report, statement of the accused, report of the panels set up by the school authorities and the Teaching Service Commission as well a statement of the victim, among others.

The two panels of enquiry indicted Ajayi, resulting in his suspension from service and eventual arrest and arraignment.