LAGOS PASTOR BAGS 25-YEARS PRISON TERM OVER DEFILEMENT OF 14-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER

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By Aishat Momoh.O.

Ndukwe Ogbu, a 45-year-old pastor, was found guilty and given a 25-year prison sentence by Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe of the Lagos State Sexual Offences Court for defiling and sexually assaulting his 14-year-old daughter.

The court determined that the elements of the accused charges against the defendant had been shown by the prosecution beyond a reasonable doubt.

The defendant, who asked for the court to temper justice with kindness and informed them that he had other children to care for, is not remorseful for the crime he did against his daughter, according to Justice Abike-Fadipe. He was found guilty by the judge on the three charges that the Lagos State government had brought against him.

Ogbu was charged by the state with three counts of sexual assault, sexual assault by penetration, and defilement of a fourteen-year-old girl.

The trial started on October 18, 2021, after the defendant was arraigned somewhere in February 2021.

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The prosecution called witnesses and produced tender exhibits during the trial. Femi Oyeleke, a social worker who informed the police about the case, is the first prosecution witness.

The victim of the alleged sexual offences and the doctor who examined the girl were the second prosecution witness (PW2), and they both testified against the defendant.

The victim in her testimony had identified the defendant as her father. She narrated to the court that she was 14 years when the incident started. She said that her father entered her room naked, and removed her cloth, laid on her.

She told court that her father had sexual. Intercourse with her on several occasions, threatened her not to tell anybody. She had told court that she told her teacher in the school and the teacher reported the case to the social worker who reported the case to the police.

But the defendant who testified alone in defence, denied the allegation, told the court that he was not at home as claimed by the victim. But he confirmed to the court that he lived with victim in two bedroom apartment that the victim have her own room.

The defendsnt also confirmed that he lost his wife when the children were small and that the other children lives in the village with maternal mother but it’s been long that he talk to them. He also told coirt that the victim was mentally unstable that he used to quick forget things.

However while delivering the judgement yesterday, Justice Abike-Fadipe held the testimony of the Doctor and social worker that it corroborates the testimonynof the victim.

“The victim was 15 years when the alleged offence was committed. Exhibit P1 states the age of the witness, the failure of the defence to cross examined the witness as regards the age if the victim.

The judge therefore ound him guilty as charged and sentenced him to three years on count one. He was also sentenced him to 25 years on count two while another 25 years on count three. All together is 53 years but the judge said it should run concurrently.

She ordered that the prison term to commence from December 2019 when he was ranked in prison.