In a verdict handed down on Tuesday, July 23, the Ekiti State High Court, Ado Ekiti Division, sentenced Sunday Asere, aged 24, to 14 years imprisonment for sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl.
Asere had been charged with rape on March 22, 2022, under Section 31(2) of the Child Rights Law, Cap. C7, Laws of Ekiti State of Nigeria, 2012.
The court heard that the incident occurred in January 2020 at Moferere in Ado Ekiti. The victim, then a primary one pupil, testified that Asere, a neighbor of her mother, would fondle her private parts when her mother was not around, causing her pain. She only disclosed this to her father when he visited her at school on January 14, 2020, following another assault by Asere.
During the trial, Prosecutor Kunle-Shina Adeyemo presented six witnesses and submitted the defendant’s statements and medical reports as evidence. Asere, represented by counsel Adedayo Adewumi, did not present any witnesses in his defense.
Justice Adekunle Adeleye, in delivering the judgment, acknowledged medical findings indicating possible sexual abuse, although no evidence of vaginal penetration was found. He ruled that the prosecution had successfully proven the charge of sexual assault based on the circumstances presented.
As a result, the court sentenced Asere to 14 years imprisonment for the offense.
