Court sentenced man to life imprisonment for raping a 17year old girl

A 56-year-old man, Olorundare Adesanmi, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the FCT High Court in Kubwa for raping his 17-year-old housemaid. The National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) had reported the case for prosecution.The prosecution counsel, Mr. Arinze Mbanefo, informed the court that Adesanmi deliberately assaulted the victim in November 2018, resulting in her pregnancy. Mbanefo emphasized that this act violated section 1(2) of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015.Justice Asmau Akanbi-Yusuf, presiding over the case, declared Adesanmi guilty based on the evidence presented. She underscored that the victim was underage during the crime on November 15, 2018, making the issue of consent irrelevant, as argued by the defense counsel, Peter Dajang.Consequently, the judge convicted Adesanmi of rape. Despite the plea for leniency by the defense counsel, citing the convict’s status as a first-time offender, the court upheld the life imprisonment sentence, underscoring the severity of the offense and the need for justice.