The 50 years sentence bagged by Mr John Otema, an alumnus of UNILAG for raping student has once again shown that law is no respecter of persons.
On Monday, the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court sentence Otema, a 34-year-old Otema, a quantity surveyor and facilities manager, was charged before Justice Abiola Soladoye with three counts of rape and assault occasioning harm on two female students.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports said he was found guilty on two-counts of rape and assault occasioning harm in respect of the rape of the 19-year-old student (Student X) and was, however, found not guilty on a charge of raping a 20-year-old student (Student Y) of the institution.
Otema received 50-years prison sentence for the rape and three-years in prison for the assault on student X with both sentences to run concurrently.
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NAN’s report stated that on Jan. 17, 2018 while the victim was coming from her hostel to Moremi Hall, Otema parked his car and asked student her for directions to Moremi Hall. He compelled her to enter the car under the guise of giving her a ride. He then auto locked his car and drove her to the Distant Learning Institute (DLI) area where he assaulted her by punching her face several times, he bit her back, ordered her to undress and took her nude photos.
The offences contravene the Criminal Code, Law of Lagos State 2015. In Sections 173 that says any person who unlawfully assaults another and thereby does him harm commits a felony and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for three (3) years and Section 260(1)(2) which says, ‘” any man who has unlawful sexual intercourse with a woman or girl without her consent, commits the offence of rape and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for life”. (2) “ A woman or girl does not consent to sexual intercourse if she submits to the act by reason of force, impersonation, threat or intimidation of any kind, fear of harm or false or fraudulent representation as to the nature of the act”.
According to Justice Abiola Soladoye, Women and girls like every other member of the society should be respected and not be turned into prey by sex maniacs.
““This State of Excellence has zero tolerance for this sort of crime and the punishment meted out to the defendant will serve as a deterrent to other sex offenders that they too will be caught and brought to justice”. Soladoye added.