Justice Sybil Nwaka of an Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court, Lagos, has described Adelaja Olaide, a 48-year-old convicted paedophile as an “animal” while sentencing him to 60 years in prison for defiling a seven-year-old primary two pupil.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Olaide, a driver, who resides at No. 17, Itun Oluwo St., Ketu, Ejirin, Lagos, was convicted of defilement on Monday.
Pedophilia, or paedophilia, is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children (Wikipedia).
The judge said:“This defendant is a 48-year-old and the court has convicted him of the offence of defiling an eight-year-old based on the overwhelming evidence of four prosecution witnesses and the medical report.
“This defendant can best be described as an animal without conscience.
“He has destroyed the life of this girl-child and she can never remain the same mentally, physically and emotionally.
“This defendant is not fit to walk on our streets, he is best described as a predator and should be locked up.
“I hereby sentence him to 60 years in prison without an option of fine.”
According to Mr Babajide Boye, the Chief State Counsel, the convict committed the offence on June 27, 2015 at his residence in Lagos.
“The convict who is a neighbour to the complainant’s family, lured the child (name withheld) to his apartment where he forcefully had sexual intercourse with her.
“Oriyomi, the convict’s daughter, who witnessed her father committing the offence informed the child’s mother of the crime.
“The child’s mother inspected her daughter’s underwear and noticed seminal fluid and she immediately reported Olaide to the authorities,” he said.
Four witnesses testified for the prosecution during the trial : the child, her mother, the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) and a medical doctor.
Dr A. Muyideen, a medical doctor at the Ketu-Ejirin Medical Centre, who testified as the second prosecution witness, said on examining the complainant, his findings revealed an absence of hymen and a pool of sperm in her vagina.
During her testimony, the child identified the convict using his popular nickname “Ijebu” as the person who defiled her.
Olaide, who solely testified in his defence, denied defiling the child, noting that the complainant’s mother had maliciously reported him to the police because of a prior misunderstanding.
Earlier during the proceedings, Ms R. E Hussaini, Olaide’s counsel in her allocutus, asked the court to temper justice with mercy.
“The defendant is a first-time offender, he is a family man who has been incarcerated since 2016 and his family has suffered greatly as a result of his incarceration.
“The defendant has turned a new leaf and he has realised the gravity of his offence and I urge this court to temper justice with mercy,” she pleaded.
Responding, Boye asked the court to impose the maximum sentence on Olaide, noting that Lagos State Government was working hard to curb the menace of sexual offences.
“I want to seek this opportunity to urge parents to talk to their children and urge them to speak out when they experience sexual abuse.
“We are aware that there are so many vulnerable people who are victimised by their abusers but I want to assure them that the state will fight for them.
“The state commends the courage of this victim because the stigma surrounding sexual offences is suffocating.
“The state seeks a society that is safe for the vulnerable especially the girl-child.
“We urge the court to impose the maximum sentence,”the state prosecutor said.
Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State provides a life sentence for offenders.
