Two college students jailed for life for rape, cultism

Two students of Adeyemi College of Education in Ondo State have been sentenced to life imprisonment after a high court found them guilty of rape and cultism. Apart from the two students – Ibijole Oludayo (aka Malawi) and Oluyemi Tosin – one other student, Ogundeji Festus, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment. The three students […]

Two students of Adeyemi College of Education in Ondo State have been sentenced to life imprisonment after a high court found them guilty of rape and cultism.

Apart from the two students – Ibijole Oludayo (aka Malawi) and Oluyemi Tosin – one other student, Ogundeji Festus, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment.

The three students were dragged before an Akure High Court after report of the rape of some girls in the institution said to be part of the initiation rites of the girls into their cult group was blown open.

The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them when they were read to them before hearing commenced. They were given the opportunity to legally represent themselves and also cross examine the witness due to the absence of their lawyer in court.

One of the victims, Omolola George testified that on the day she was raped, she was forcefully taken away by her assailants at gunpoint from the school premises on a motorcycle.

She said one of them threatened her that if she raised an alarm, she would be killed.

She further told the court that they took her to an unknown destination, raped her and later took her back to her hostel at about 10p.m.on the fateful day.

One of the convicts, Ibijole Oludayo, while cross examining the witness, asked her why she did not shout for help when she was brought back to the hostel. To this, the witness told the court she did not shout for help because she had earlier been threatened and that she was also ashamed of exposing herself to public ridicule if she made public that she had been raped.

She further stated that she called her mother to intimate her of the ordeal and the mother reportedly came to the school the next day to pick her. She said further that they went to inform the school authority about the development because of their upcoming test as she was to be taken to the hospital that day for medical attention.

Another prosecution witness, Akintolayo Abigail also told the court she was raped by the same group but admitted that she was in a relationship at that time with the third accused person, Festus.

The prosecution, after calling the victims as witnesses also called three more witnesses.

The presiding judge, Justice O.O. Akeredolu, convicted them while placing reliance on the evidence brought before the court by the prosecution such as the victim’s testimony, the medical evidence brought by one Dr. Johnson of the school’s health center coupled with police investigations.

Spokesperson for the school, Mrs Olatuyi Oluseto, told Daily Trust on phone yesterday that they were aware of the court verdict and that it was a criminal case.