A part-time lecturer of the Department of Primary Education and Early Childhood Development of Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Oto-Ijanikin, Lagos, Kolawole Muyiwa, was on Monday brought before the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, which was presided by Justice Ramon Oshodi. The suspect was being tried for alleged rape of a student of the institution.
It was also learnt that earlier, the Lagos state government brought the suspect before the court on February 6, 2023; he was alleged to have committed the act of rape he pleaded not guilty to the offence.
The suspect, according to the prosecution counsel, B. T. Boye and I. D Solarin, was brought to court and charged with rape which was committed against the laws of the Lagos state government.
It was noted by the prosecution that the incident had taken place on October 11, 2021, at the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Oto-Ijanikin, Lagos State the prosecution further disclosed that the offence committed by the suspect was against the Section 260 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
It was also gathered that the victim, who was 18 years old at the time of the incident, was a student of the Department of Primary Education at the institution studying full-time. The suspect noted that she had visited the victim’s office to record sores when the incident occurred.
When the trial began with the cross-examination of the defence’s first witness, the defendant, Kolawole Muyiwa, conceded to the court that he was a married man with children and that he had asked the prosecutrix to be in a relationship with him, to which she allegedly accepted.
The accused narrated that on October 11, 2021, at about 9:30 to 10:00 in the morning, he was coming into the school to mark recorded and submit scripts. On getting to the gate, he noted he met Damilola, who greeted him and said she would help carry the bag. When asked if she could record scores, she said no problem.
He narrated further that he went to the office, where the key was kept. He opened and gave her the scrips to record, which she did. She told me she had a meeting, and I told her that if they finished the meeting, she could come back and record, which she obliged. He noted that the meeting failed to start, so she returned to the office and continued recording the scripts. When power was restored, he also pointed out that the lady was charging her phone. The suspect explained that in the middle of the recordings, she asked the lady for a relationship and agreed.
The suspect noted that other students came in on the particular day to submit their projects, which he attended before leaving for his Master’s programme at LASU.
He noted that on October 13, 2021, the HOD of Guidance and Counselling called to ask if he knew about the lady and confirmed that the lady was his girlfriend. The HOD noted that someone had reported that she was raped by him, but he rejected and told the HOD that the lady in question was his girlfriend and that they had agreed to be in a relationship.
The suspect further explained that he had travelled to Ilesha for burial, and when he came back, the HOD of Primary Education called him and told him that the police were looking for him. He explained that he responded and told them he was not available at that moment, but he noted that he was told about a case which involved a student called Damilola, who had alleged that he raped her. He noted that he went on to confirm to the HOD that the HOD Guidance and Counselling had called his attention to the case, but he had told him all the truth he had.
He noted that he had called his HOD and that of Early Childhood Education. He also went on to contact his lawyer, and they went to the station together. He noted that he was detained there for five days before the case was charged to court. He disclosed he was charged with sexual assault.
He noted that the first day he met the victim was when she disclosed that she was a full-time student of the university from the Department of Primary Education. She noted that they had spoken about non-sexual relations, and she accepted. He explained that they only agreed to be in a relationship where they could talk whenever she had a problem, not a sexual relationship
The accused noted that he was married with children. He explained that his expectation for the relationship was to encourage her whenever she had a problem with her academics.
The presiding judge, Justice Oshodi, then adjourned the case to January 13, 2025.
