A 45-year-old man, Ndukwe Ogbu, who claimed to be a pastor, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison by the Ikeja Special Offences Court in Lagos.
The conviction stemmed from his sexual abuse of his biological daughter on multiple occasions when she was just 14 years old.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe held that the prosecution had proven the three-count charge of defilement, sexual assault, and sexual assault by penetration beyond reasonable doubt.
The court convicted Ogbu based on the testimonies of the victim, a medical expert, and a social worker, all of whom corroborated the allegations.
During sentencing, the judge noted that the convict did not show remorse, as his plea for leniency was based on having other children to care for.
“From the evidence before the court, the defendant is found guilty on all three counts. He is sentenced to three years’ imprisonment on count one and 25 years each on counts two and three. The sentences are to run concurrently and will take effect from December 2019, the date of his remand,” Justice Abike-Fadipe ruled.
The prosecution, led by the Lagos State Government, arraigned the convict in February 2021. The trial began in October of the same year, during which three prosecution witnesses testified, including the survivor, a social worker, and a medical doctor. The defendant testified alone in his defence.
The social worker, Femi Oyeleke, told the court that the matter was brought to his attention by a schoolteacher to whom the survivor had confided. He then reported the case to the police.
The survivor also gave detailed testimony, identifying Ogbu as her father and recounting how the abuse started when she was 14. She said he warned her not to tell anyone, but she eventually informed her teacher.
Ogbu denied all the allegations, maintaining that he was not present at the times stated by his daughter.
He acknowledged living in the same apartment but said the girl had her own room. He told the court that his wife had passed away when the children were young and that the others lived with their maternal grandmother in the village.
