…As Plumber pleads guilty to impersonating on Instagram, awaits sentence
An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court has sentenced a 41-year-old car cleaner, Ezekiel Udoh, to life imprisonment for defiling and impregnating his neighbour’s granddaughter, aged 12.
“A child was forced to bear a child, forever altering the course of her life,” Justice Rahman Oshodi said while imposing the sentence.
He judged that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that Udoh committed the offence.
Oshodi described the offence as grievous.
He said that the convict took advantage of the minor’s innocence as well as betrayed the trust placed on him as an adult in a community.
According to him, the consequences of the convict’s actions are profound and far-reaching as the defilement resulted in an unwanted pregnancy at a tender age.
“Evidence before this court reveals a disturbing pattern of predatory behaviour.
“You deliberately lured this girl to your room under the pretence of running errands and exploited her vulnerability and proximity.
“As a neighbour, most disturbingly, you engaged in sexual intercourse with her twice, showing a calculated and persistent pattern of abuse,” he said.
According to him, the law is clear that a child cannot consent to a sexual activity.
Oshodi said: “Section 137 of the Criminal Law prescribes life imprisonment for the offence of defilement, reflecting society’s utter condemnation of such an act and its determination to protect its most vulnerable members.
“This sentence serves as a deterrent to others contemplating similar crimes against children.
“I, therefore, sentence you to life imprisonment under Sections 33 and 38 of the Lagos State Domestic and Violence Agency Law, 2021.”
He added that the convict’s name should be written in the Lagos State Sex Offenders Register.
Lagos State counsel, Mr Babajide Boye, led the prosecution team which presented three witnesses in the trial.
The witnesses are the minor/survivor, her grandmother and a social worker.
The convict testified as a sole witness for the defence.
The prosecution team submitted that the convict committed the offence sometime in January 2020 in Amuwo Odofin, Lagos Lagos.
According to the Lagos State Government, the offence contravenes Section 137 of its Criminal Law of 2015.
In another development, a 24-year-old plumber, Precious Oruche, on Tuesday, in Lagos, pleaded guilty to impersonating on Instagram.
Oruche pleaded guilty to a one-count charge bordering on the offence, which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) levelled against him at a Federal High Court in Lagos.
The defendant, standing trial before Justice Ayokunle Faji, admitted committing the offence, said to have been carried out in September 2022.
After his plea, the prosecutor, Mr S.I Suleiman, reviewed the facts of the case through a witness, Mr Daniel John, an operative with the EFCC.
The witness told the court how the defendant was arrested following intelligence by the commission.
He said that items recovered from the defendant include an iPhone 11, a grey colour Toyota Venza car model 2010, one gold necklace, three gold bracelets and one gold ring.
The prosecutor applied to show the witness the items seized from the defendant and the witness confirmed the same to the court.
He tendered the items before the court and they were admitted and marked as exhibits A to K
The court stood down the matter briefly so as to examine the Toyota Venza car exhibit, which the prosecution said was parked in the court’s compound.
After examining the same as well as the chassis number, the court also admitted and marked the car as exhibit L.
The prosecutor urged the court to proceed and convict the defendant based on his plea as well as the evidence led by the prosecution.
The court consequently held: “In line with section 274 of the ACJA, I find you guilty of the said charge and I pronounce you guilty.”
When asked to tell the court about himself, the convict said that he is a plumber born on Nov. 20, 2000 and a secondary school graduate.
The convict said that he made the sum of 6,500 dollars from his illegal deal.
During a plea for mercy, on his behalf, defence counsel urged the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing the convict, as he did not waste the time of the court but pleaded guilty.
The court has adjourned the case until Nov. 1, for a sentence of the convict.
The court directed that the convict be remanded in custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service pending sentence.
According to the charge, the convict committed the offence in September 2022.
He was said to have fraudulently impersonated one Nancy Dorer on his Instagram page, by holding out himself as such, to gain advantage himself.
The offence contravenes the provisions of section 22(2) of the Cybercrime Prohibition Act, 2015.