An Ekiti State high court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has today, Monday, July 27, sentenced one Ishau Gruma to life imprisonment for raping a six-year-old girl.
The convict committed the crime on July 20th, 2019, at Erio-Ekiti, Ekiti West Local Government Area of the State. He was arraigned on February 22, 2020, before Honourable Justice A.A Adeleye of the State High Court 5 on a count charge of rape of a child, but he pleaded not guilty to the charge read to him.
The Prosecution team led by the State’s Attorney-General & Commissioner for Justice, Olawale Fapohunda, called two witnesses to give evidence while the defense counsel called the defendant as its only witness.
The Counsel to the defendant; K.K Adeniyi appealed to the judge to temper justice with mercy and give a liberal sentence to the defendant.
Justice Adeleye, in his judgment on the matter, said the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt against the defendant and therefore sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Reacting to the judgment, the State’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Olawale Fapohunda, expressed his delight at the judgment describing it as “simple justice which will serve as a deterrent to other paedophiles.”
Fapohunda said the State Government’s zero-tolerance policy for all forms of sexual violence against women and children will continue to be vigorously enforced through effective prosecution and name-shaming of sex offenders.
