A Lagos Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court has sentenced a security guard, Emmanuel Buchi, to life imprisonment for raping a 37-year-old married nurse in a school clinic.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, trial judge, Justice Rahman Oshodi, held that the prosecution successfully proved the offences of rape and assault occasioning harm against the convict.
The judge described Buchi as a pathological liar, stating that his attempts to divert attention from the offences committed did not hold water.
Oshodi noted that the convict showed no remorse for his actions and continued to insist that the survivor consented to the sexual intercourse.
According to the judge, the sentence of life imprisonment for rape is mandatory under the law and reflects society’s condemnation of the crime.
He added that the circumstances of the case were deeply troubling, as the convict threatened the survivor while raping her in the school clinic.
Oshodi said the evidence of the prosecutrix was corroborated by two other prosecution witnesses, describing her testimony as clear, consistent, credible and authentic, while that of the convict was unreliable and riddled with lies.
He said: “You were employed as a security guard at Green Springs School, Awoyaya, and your duty was to protect lives and property. Instead of protecting the prosecutrix, you became her assailant by abandoning your duty post on the night of November 27, 2021, entering the school clinic where you had no authorisation to be, and raping her while she was alone on duty.”
The judge further stated that evidence before the court showed that the convict used force and violence on the prosecutrix by pressing her hands down, grabbing her legs and stamping on them with his security boots.
He added that medical examination revealed black discolouration on her left eye and bruises on the inner part of her vagina.
The court also held that in his extra-judicial statement to the police, the convict admitted that the prosecutrix told him, “leave me now,” but under cross-examination, he claimed he interpreted the refusal as consent.
The court further found that the convict fabricated his defence by claiming that the prosecutrix was his girlfriend, a claim contradicted by his statement to the police.
Oshodi said: “Throughout this trial, you have shown no understanding of the gravity of your actions or the harm you have caused. Beyond the physical injuries, the prosecutrix will carry the psychological scars of that violation.”
The court consequently sentenced Buchi to life imprisonment for rape and three years’ imprisonment for assault occasioning harm, ordering that the sentences run concurrently.
The judge also directed that the convict’s name be entered in the Lagos State Sexual Offences Register.
Earlier, the state lead counsel, Mr. Babajide Boye, called three witnesses through whom exhibits were tendered, while the convict testified as the sole witness for the defence.
Boye told the court that the offence was committed on November 27, 2021, at Green Springs School, Awoyaya, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos.
The prosecutrix had testified that she resumed night duty on the day of the incident when the convict approached her at the school clinic to request vitamin C. She said he returned a few minutes later after switching off the light and raped her.
According to the prosecution, the offence contravened Sections 173 and 258 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
