A Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court in Ikeja has sentenced a security guard, Emmanuel Buchi, to life imprisonment for raping a 37-year-old nurse at Greensprings School, Awoyaya, Ibeju-Lekki.
Justice Rahman Oshodi, in a judgment delivered on Wednesday, found Buchi guilty of rape and assault occasioning harm, holding that the Lagos State Government proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Buchi and the survivor were both employees of Greensprings School, where the crime was committed on November 27, 2021, inside the school clinic during a night shift, according to New Agency of Nigeria.
The judge said Buchi showed no remorse throughout the trial, insisting that the survivor consented to sexual intercourse despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
The Judge affirmed that the sentence of life imprisonment for rape is mandatory under the law and reflects society’s condemnation of this heinous crime.
The judge noted that the circumstances of the case were particularly disturbing because the convict was entrusted with the responsibility of protecting lives and property within the school premises.
“You were employed as a security guard at Greensprings School, Awoyaya, and your duties were 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.
“You entered the school clinic, where you had no authorisation to be, and raped her while she was alone on duty that night,” the judge said.
Justice Oshodi said the evidence showed that Buchi used force and violence during the assault, pressing the survivor’s hands down, restraining her legs, and stamping on her legs with his security boots.
Medical evidence tendered before the court revealed black discolouration on the survivor’s left eye and bruises on the inner part of her vagina, corroborating her account of the attack.
The court also relied on Buchi’s extra-judicial statement to the police, in which he admitted that the survivor told him, “Leave me now.” Under cross-examination, the convict conceded that he interpreted her refusal as consent.
Justice Oshodi dismissed Buchi’s claim that the survivor was his girlfriend, describing it as a fabricated defence contradicted by his own statement to the police.
“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 said.
The court sentenced Buchi to life imprisonment for rape and an additional three years for assault occasioning harm, ordering that both sentences run concurrently. It also directed that his name be entered into the Lagos State Sexual Offences Register.
“Consequently, you are sentenced to life imprisonment for rape and three years’ imprisonment for assault occasioning harm,” the judge said.
The prosecution, led by Babajide Boye, called three witnesses and tendered several exhibits, while the convict was the sole witness for the defence.
According to the prosecution, the offences contravened Sections 173 and 258 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
