Man gets life imprisonment for raping student

The Lagos State Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court in Ikeja has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raping and robbing a 25-year-old student at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Akoka on Tuesday, April 5.

Identified as Collins Okechukwu, he was handed the sentence by Justice Abiola Soladoye.

According to the prosecution counsel, Mr Peter Owolabani, the convict committed the crimes on December 17, 2017, at 9 pm behind the Faculty of Arts Building, UNILAG.

Okechukwu reportedly robbed the victim of her phones, money and gold chain. He was arrested one year after the incident after getting invited to the victim’s supposed birthday party.

Justice Soladoye who noted that the prosecution proved the charges of rape and robbery against Okechukwu beyond a reasonable doubt, and sentenced him to life imprisonment for rape, and 21 years’ imprisonment for robbery.

She said: “The testimony of the defendant portrayed him as a pathological liar in the sense that he claimed that University of Lagos Guest House was fully booked and the survivor was sex-starved, which made them have sex on the bare floor.

“This is unbelievable and watery.

“The defendant lured the survivor into the admin block, brought out a pistol, raped her and robbed her of her valuables thereafter.

“The claim of the defendant to have met the survivor at the guest house and she agreed to have sex with him was consistently laced with irregularities and found unreliable.

“The defendant is found guilty as charged of the two offenses and sentenced to life imprisonment in respect to rape and 21 years jail term for robbery.

“The sentences shall run concurrently.

“He should have his name entered in the Sex Offenders Register of the Lagos State Government.”

The Judge also warned women against giving out their phone numbers to strange people. She added: “What manner of a woman is the victim herself? She should desist from giving out her numbers for unnecessary frolicking”