Teacher bags life imprisonment for sodomising 14-year-old student

The Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos State, has sentenced a 27-year-old teacher, Bright Emelogu, to life imprisonment for sodomising his 14-year-old student.

The presiding judge, Justice Abiola Soladoye, in a judgement delivered on Thursday, July 6, 2023, said the teacher was amoral, callous, and reckless.

Justice Soladoye said the evidence of the survivor was corroborated with the evidence of the nominal complainant, his aunt, and the medical report from Mirabel Medical Centre in Ikeja.

The judge said: “The survivor, in this case, narrated before this court that the defendant was his class teacher and that he complained to his aunt that he was not doing well in school.

“The survivor said he (defendant) told his aunt that he was dumb which made the aunt arrange an after-school lesson with the defendant.

“The survivor said the defendant ordered him to go into the school toilet but he refused which made him threaten to fail the survivor in his third term examination if he did not obey him.

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“The survivor said he eventually cooperated with the defendant because he was afraid and he followed him to the toilet.”

Justice Soladoye stressed that the testimony of the survivor was truthful, saying the evidence of the survivor’s aunt was straightforward and unambiguous.

She added that the medical report which was tendered in the court revealed healings in the anus area and lacerations, which were consistent with the anus, were not pile related.

The judge rejected the defence written address to discharge and acquit the teacher, saying the prosecution proved each of the ingredients of sexual assault by penetration against the defendant.

Justice Soladoye added: “This paedophile, Bright Emelogu, is a disgrace to the teaching profession and he must pay for his sexual indiscretions.

“Hopefully, this will also make other male teachers like him desist from messing around with the innocence of their students.”

The judge, having found the defendant guilty of the one-count charge, sentenced the teacher to life imprisonment.

She ordered that the defendant must have his name registered in the sexual offences register as maintained by the Lagos State Government.

The Star