An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, on Monday, sentenced a 53-year-old rubber trader, Kenneth Mba, to life imprisonment for defiling a friend’s 12-year-old daughter.
Justice Rahman Oshodi, in his judgement, held that the prosecution proved the charge of defilement against the convict beyond a reasonable doubt.
The judge handed down the verdict after finding Mr Mba guilty of the offence of defilement of a minor.
Mr Oshodi said the convict’s confessional statement that he defiled the survivor in his room three times and gave her N200 each time after sex was corroborated with the survivor’s testimony.
He, however, said his oral evidence to deflate the charge did not hold water.
Mr Oshodi referred to the convict as a pathological liar whose testimony was an afterthought as his testimony lacked credibility.
He said the convict betrayed the trust the survivor’s father had for him, as they had been friends for over 20 years.
The judge held that the evidence of the survivor was unequivocal, straight forward and full of clarity.
The judge also held that the confessional statement was consistent with the evidence before the court.