On Thursday, 20th February, 2020, an Ikeja High Court sentenced a former part-time lecturer in the University of Lagos (Unilag), Akin Baruwa, to 21 years’ imprisonment for raping an 18-year-old admission seeker.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Josephine Oyefeso while sentencing 45-year-old Baruwa, described his action as heinous. Oyefeso held that the sentence should serve as a deterrent to others.
“The offence committed against this young lady was a violation of her chastity which would have left huge emotional scars from which I pray and hope she will recover.
“I cannot begin to imagine the physical and mental trauma she has had to endure from the man who she considered her father’s friend, a community leader who should have known better, this is a shame!.” This is a crime that not only offends the survivor, it offends her family, it offends the society at large, it also offends God,” she said.
“More painful here is that the convict gave the family the impression that he was a lecturer at Unilag but his services were only needed on an ad-hoc basis by the University, the Judge said.
She said the convict gave the impression that he could assist in giving his victim university admission where as he could not.
“He used the vulnerability of this young girl to his selfish advantage,” she said.
“The young lady said that the encounter lasted for two to five minutes, the convict said 10 to 15 minutes. Was it worth it at the end of the day?
“In line with Section 258 of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2011, Baruwa Afeez Akin is hereby sentenced to 21 years’ imprisonment,” she maintained.
Mrs Oyefeso had said earlier that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and that the medical evidence was consistent with the testimony of the victim.
“It is interesting to note that all the graphic details he gave in court in his testimony were not contained in his statement at the Surulere Police Station.
“The difference between his statement and his evidence are like night and day. DW1 (Baruwa) has a fertile imagination and is not afraid to use it,” she stated.
She further expressed, “The evidence before me overwhelmingly shows that the sexual intercourse between PW3 (complainant) and DW1 was not consensual; I so hold. The court is satisfied that the prosecution has been able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.”
“I find you Baruwa Afeez Akin guilty of a one-count charge of rape contrary to Section 258(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2011, and I hereby convict you accordingly,” she said
Before the sentence was passed, defence counsel, H. I. Omotoba, in his allocutus (plea for mercy), prayed the court to temper justice with mercy and impose a light sentence on Mr Baruwa.
“The convict is broken and highly remorseful of his act. The convict is a married man with children aged 12, 10, four and two, respectively,” Mr Omotoba stated.
“The convict also has aged parents to cater for. My lord, the convict is also a first-time offender, we urge this court to temper justice with mercy and impose a lesser punishment on the convict,” Mr Omotoba said.
The Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Yhaqub Oshoala, expressed gratitude to the court.
Mr Oshoala asked the court to impose a stiff sentence on Baruwa to serve as a deterrent to lecturers who prey sexually on students.
He added that Mr Baruwa was not remorseful during his trial, “I have never observed such a display of unremorsefulness in a defendant to the extent that he was calling the complainant “jeun tan” (a bad nickname), making it seem normal for a married person to use such an expression,” he said.
“Neither the State nor the society will condone such bad conduct, there are many students out there who are weak and have nobody to protect them,” the DPP concluded.
