Thursday, January 29, 2026 - A Lagos S3xual Offences and Domestic Violence Court has sentenced a security guard, Emmanuel Buchi, to life imprisonment for r@ping a 37-year-old married nurse in a school clinic.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, trial judge, Justice
Rahman Oshodi, held that the prosecution successfully proved the offences of
r@pe and assault occasioning harm against the convict.
The judge described Buchi as a pathological liar, stating
that his attempts to divert attention from the offences committed did not hold
water.
Oshodi noted that the convict showed no remorse for his
actions and continued to insist that the survivor consented to the s3xual
intercourse.
According to the judge, the sentence of life imprisonment
for rape is mandatory under the law and reflects society’s condemnation of the
crime. He added that the circumstances of the case were deeply troubling, as
the convict threatened the survivor while r@ping her in the school clinic.
Oshodi said the evidence of the prosecutrix was corroborated
by two other prosecution witnesses, describing her testimony as clear,
consistent, credible and authentic, while that of the convict was unreliable
and riddled with lies.
“You were employed as a security guard at Green Springs
School, Awoyaya, and your duty was to protect lives and property. Instead of
protecting the prosecutrix, you became her assailant by abandoning your duty
post on the night of November 27, 2021, entering the school clinic where you
had no authorization to be, and r@ping her while she was alone on duty,"
he said.
The judge further stated that evidence before the court
showed that the convict used force and violence on the prosecutrix by pressing
her hands down, grabbing her legs and stamping on them with his security
boots.
He added that medical examination revealed black
discolouration on her left eye and bruises on the inner part of her v@gina.
The court also held that in his extra-judicial statement to
the police, the convict admitted that the prosecutrix told him, “leave me now,”
but under cross-examination, he claimed he interpreted the refusal as
consent.
The court further found that the convict fabricated his
defence by claiming that the prosecutrix was his girlfriend, a claim
contradicted by his statement to the police.
“Throughout this trial, you have shown no understanding of
the gravity of your actions or the harm you have caused. Beyond the physical
injuries, the prosecutrix will carry the psychological scars of that
violation," Oshodi said.
The court consequently sentenced Buchi to life imprisonment
for r@pe and three years’ imprisonment for assault occasioning harm, ordering
that the sentences run concurrently.
The judge also directed that the convict’s name be entered
in the Lagos State S3xual Offences Register.
Earlier, the state lead counsel, Mr. Babajide Boye, called
three witnesses through whom exhibits were tendered, while the convict
testified as the sole witness for the defence.
Boye told the court that the offence was committed on
November 27, 2021, at Green Springs School, Awoyaya, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos.
The prosecutrix had testified that she resumed night duty on
the day of the incident when the convict approached her at the school clinic to
request vitamin C.
She said he returned a few minutes later after switching off
the light and raped her. According to the prosecution, the offence contravened
Sections 173 and 258 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
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