Teacher bags life jail for defiling pupil

A high court sitting in Benin, the Edo State capital, has sentenced a 35-year-old teacher, Bright Asiruwa, to life imprisonment for defiling an 11-year-old primary school pupil. Asiruwa, who was the victim’s teacher before the incident, was said to have committed the act in 2007. Although proceedings on the matter had commenced at an Abudu High Court in 2008, the case was transferred to the Benin High Court for further hearing. Earlier, the prosecution Counsel, Nelson Okojie, told the court that Asiruwa defiled the pupil at Osazuwa Primary School, Ehor, in the Uhunmwode Local Government Area of the state. The presiding judge, Justice G. O. Imadegbelo, subsequently sentenced the 35-year-old teacher to life imprisonment, having found him guilty of the offence. Continue...
Meanwhile, an Ile-Ife Magistrates’ Court in Osun on Thursday remanded a 60-year-old woman, Bolanle Olorunwole, in prison over alleged housebreaking and stealing. The Magistrate, Mrs Risikat Olayemi, gave the order after refusing to take the plea of the accused. She said the accused would be granted bail after the police had completed their investigations, News Agency of Nigeria reports. “Granting her bail will jeopardise police investigations,’’ she said. The accused, whose address is unknown, is facing four counts of conspiracy, housebreaking, intent to commit felony and stealing. Olorunwole, however, pleaded innocence of the offences. Earlier, the prosecutor, ASP Supo Adeyemo, told the court that the accused with others still at large committed the offences around 2pm on October 12 at Ikeji Quarters, Ile-Ife. Adeyemo said the accused conspired with others and broke into the house of the complainant, Mr Oluseyi Famuyiwa, and stole some items. He listed the stolen items as three water closets, three standing water basins, kitchen cabinet and 50 packs of tiles all valued at N132, 000. According to him, the offences contravened sections 383, 390 (9), 411 and 412 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Osun. He also said some of the stolen items had been recovered from the accused.