Lagos Teacher Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Sexual Abuse of 3-Year-Old Pupil

Lagos DSVA

A 25-year-old teacher, Chukwunonso Okafor, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court for sexually assaulting a three-year-old child at his workplace. Justice Abiola Soladoye delivered the verdict on Wednesday, ruling that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.

Okafor was convicted on three counts of sexual abuse. The first charge, under Section 261 of Lagos State Criminal Law (2015), involved penetration of the victim’s vagina, for which he received a life sentence. The second count, defilement under Section 137, also carried a life term. The third charge, under Section 135, resulted in a seven-year prison sentence, with all terms to run concurrently.

During the trial, the victim testified that Okafor had been "sucking her breast and penetrating her vagina." Justice Soladoye condemned the defendant’s actions as "barbaric," particularly noting his "descent into depravity" for engaging in oral sex with the child. The judge emphasized that the victim’s testimony aligned with that of the first prosecution witness, reinforcing the credibility of the case.

The abuse occurred between July and December 2022 in Abaranje, Ikotun, Lagos, where Okafor worked as a teacher. Justice Soladoye declared, "The defendant is hereby found guilty of the three counts of sexual assault of a child and is sentenced to life imprisonment."

The ruling underscores the judiciary’s zero-tolerance stance on child sexual abuse, particularly in educational settings where perpetrators exploit positions of trust.