In a significant legal development, Justice Abiola Soladoye of the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court delivered a life imprisonment sentence to Ademola Oladimeji on Monday. The father was found guilty of sexually assaulting his three children, aged five, seven, and nine.
During the judgment, Justice Soladoye expressed confidence in the credibility and truthfulness of the prosecution witnesses. She clarified that the evidence presented established the offense as sexual assault by penetration, distinguishing it from defilement.
In her detailed analysis, Justice Soladoye pointed out that the survivors consistently testified that their father had touched their private areas with his fingers, rather than engaging in more severe actions. The judge emphasized that the children’s accounts were supported by both the investigative police officer and their mother.
While acknowledging the convict’s attempt to distance himself from the charges by denying the offenses, Justice Soladoye found his testimony lacking credibility. She highlighted that oral and documentary evidence before the court indicated the convict’s inappropriate actions towards his children, compromising their innocence.
Describing the convict’s conduct as despicable, morally corrupt, incestuous, and against the order of nature, Justice Soladoye convicted Oladimeji on the charge of sexual assault by penetration. Although the prosecution initially focused on defilement, the judge amended the charges accordingly and sentenced the father to life imprisonment on each count, with the sentences to run concurrently.
Furthermore, Justice Soladoye ordered that Oladimeji’s name be registered in the Lagos State Sexual Offences Register. The state counsel, Mrs Olufunke Adegoke, presented five witnesses to substantiate the case, while the convict testified as the sole witness in his defense.
