The Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has sentenced a former teacher, Nwatu Isaac, to life imprisonment for defiling an eight-year-old pupil at El-Bossaa Nursery and Primary School, Epe.
Justice Rahman Oshodi, in a judgment delivered on Tuesday, found Isaac guilty of sexually assaulting the child in the school’s male toilet on March 10, 2022, ruling that the prosecution had established the offence beyond reasonable doubt.
The court also ordered that Isaac’s name be entered in the Sex Offenders Register in accordance with the provisions of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency Law 2021.
Isaac was prosecuted under Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, which provides for life imprisonment for unlawful sexual intercourse with a child.
Court rejects teacher’s defence
During the trial, Isaac denied entering the school premises beyond the gate on the day of the incident. He told the court that he had gone to the school to pick up pupils whom he conveyed on his motorcycle but remained at the gate.
Justice Oshodi, however, rejected the defence, noting that Isaac’s own testimony placed him at the school at the material time.
The judge also rejected his reliance on an alibi, explaining that the defendant had not claimed to have been somewhere else when the offence allegedly occurred.
According to the judgment, the victim identified Isaac, whom she knew as “Master Isaac”, as the person who took her into the school toilet.
The judge described the girl’s evidence as clear, detailed and coherent, noting that she maintained her account even after lengthy cross-examination.
Evidence considered by the court
The court considered several pieces of evidence in reaching its decision, including the testimony of the child, evidence from her mother and medical evidence presented during the proceedings.
The victim’s mother told the court that she noticed blood on her daughter’s underwear and body after she returned from school on the day of the incident.
A medical doctor who examined the child at the Mirabel Centre also gave evidence concerning the medical findings.
Justice Oshodi held that the medical evidence provided corroboration for the prosecution’s case and rejected the defence argument that the absence of DNA or sperm testing undermined the evidence of penetration.
The judge also dismissed a defence suggestion that the child could have been abused by another person, describing the claim as speculative.
The court similarly rejected an audio recording tendered by the defence concerning an alleged subsequent statement by the child that the incident had been a dream.
Justice Oshodi found that the circumstances surrounding the recording did not make the subsequent statement sufficiently reliable, particularly after the child had initially reported the incident.
School safety and abuse of trust
In sentencing Isaac, the judge placed particular emphasis on the relationship of trust between the defendant and the child.
Justice Oshodi noted that Isaac had previously been the girl’s teacher and that members of the community also entrusted children to him for transportation.
The court held that he had abused that trust by using his relationship with the child to gain access to her and commit the offence within school premises.
The judgment consequently highlighted the responsibility attached to adults who occupy positions of trust around children, particularly teachers and other school personnel.
The case also underscores the responsibility of schools to maintain environments in which pupils are protected from sexual abuse and other forms of harm.
Court orders protection for victim and family
Following a complaint by the victim’s mother during the sentencing proceedings that she and her daughter had allegedly continued to face intimidation from members of staff of the school, Justice Oshodi directed the prosecution to take immediate steps under the Victim Assistance and Witness Protection Law 2022 to secure whatever protection and support the victim and her family might require.
The judge, however, expressly stated that the court was not making a finding on the allegation of intimidation.
The court’s directive therefore focused on ensuring that appropriate protection and support mechanisms were activated for the child and her family.
Broader implications for schools
The conviction brings renewed attention to safeguarding responsibilities within schools, particularly the need for institutions to maintain effective systems for preventing, reporting and responding to sexual abuse involving children.
Teachers, school administrators, transport personnel and other adults who interact with pupils occupy positions of significant responsibility because of the level of trust placed in them by parents and guardians.
The case also demonstrates the importance of prompt reporting, appropriate investigation and access to medical, legal and psychosocial support when allegations involving children arise.
For schools, safeguarding extends beyond classroom instruction to the broader environment in which pupils learn, including toilets, transportation arrangements, recreational areas and other spaces where children may interact with adults without direct supervision.
The prosecution was led by Inumidun Solarin, assisted by B.E. Okeowo and I.E. Balogun, while Anthony O. Agadah represented Isaac. E.I. Ukpabio held a watching brief for the nominal complainant.
With the judgment, Isaac will serve a life sentence, while the court’s order for his inclusion in the Sex Offenders Register establishes an additional legal consequence arising from the conviction.
