Businessman Bags Life Imprisonment For Impregnating 14-Year-Old Wife’s Niece

An Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court has sentenced a 38-year-old businessman, Ofure Siakpere, to life imprisonment for defiling and impregnating his wife’s niece.

Justice Abiola Soladoye while delivering judgment in the case on Wednesday held that Siakpere was guilty of the charges against him.

The judge said the prosecution proved every ingredient of defilement against the convict and she held that Siakpere was guilty of a charge of defilement contrary to Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

She described the witnesses of the prosecution as compelling and convincing while stressing that the convict must be punished by the law for his sexual misconduct.

Justice Soladoye said, “This is contrary to that of the defence which was rather shallow and full of fallacy. The evidence of the defence witnesses were merely self-serving.

“The defendant maltreated the victim (his wife’s niece) by defiling her. The conduct of this so-called in-law is hurtful and demeaning. Where is the defendant’s humanity and moral compass?

“This case is a reflection of sexual lawlessness that occurs within the family circle.

“The defendant must be duly sanctioned in the hope that this will serve as a deterrent to others to not toe the line of sexual misconduct.

“The defendant Ofure Siakpere, is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment with no option of fine.

“His name shall also be registered in the Sex Offenders Register as maintained by the Lagos State Government.”

She advised parents to stop sending their children to live with relatives and said they should give birth to the number of children they can take care of.

The Lead State Prosecutor, Funke Adegoke, has told the court that Siakpere committed the offence on or about March 2018 at his residence located at No. 10, Salaudeen Imam Street, Lagos.

The convict was 35 years old when the offence was committed.

During the trial, two witnesses; the survivor and a medical doctor, Dr Aniekan Makanjuola, from Women at Risk International Foundation, testified on behalf of the prosecution.

The survivor in her evidence said that she was overpowered and defiled on at least 15 occasions by the convict while living with him and his wife who is her aunt.

She said that anytime she resisted his advances, the convict would beat her up.

The survivor said that she became pregnant as a result of the abuse.

At the time of her testimony in court, she had been delivered of a baby.

The convict and his wife, Adebimpe Siakpere, testified for the defence.

Siakpere in his testimony, denied the allegation, describing it as false.