By Ghazali Ibrahim
A Lagos State court has sentenced Olumuyiwa Adjoto to double life imprisonment for defiling his wife’s six-year-old niece, bringing a years-long prosecution to a close.
Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court delivered the judgment on Monday, January 19, after finding Adjoto guilty of defilement and sexual assault by penetration. The court ordered that the two life sentences should run concurrently.
Adjoto was prosecuted by the Lagos State Government through the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on three counts: defilement, sexual assault by penetration, and indecent treatment of a child. While the court discharged him on the third count, Justice Oshodi ruled that the prosecution successfully proved the two major offences beyond reasonable doubt.
According to the prosecution, Adjoto committed the offences on April 22, 2022,at about 1:00 p.m. in Mowo, Badagry area of Lagos, after his wife left the house for the market and entrusted the child to his care. The case was led by Assistant Chief State Counsel, Inumidun Solarin, who called four witnesses, including the survivor, her mother, a medical doctor and the investigating police officer. Adjoto testified in his own defence as the sole defence witness.
In his judgment, Justice Oshodi described the crimes as grave and deeply disturbing, stressing that the physical and psychological injuries suffered by the child may have lasting effects. He relied on expert medical evidence which highlighted both immediate and long-term consequences of the abuse, including fear, difficulty trusting people, social withdrawal, possible academic decline, depression, anxiety and challenges in forming healthy relationships later in life.
The offences contravened Sections 137 and 261 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. In line with the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency Law, 2021, the court also ordered that Adjoto’s name be entered into the Lagos State Sexual Offenders Register.
The conviction marks another high-profile judgment under Lagos State’s sexual offences framework, reinforcing the government’s stance on zero tolerance for sexual violence against children.
