Korede Abdullah in Lagos
A Lagos Arabic teacher and Muslim cleric, Oladosu Sakiru, has been sentenced to 21 years imprisonment for attempted sexual assault on a 13-year-old student.
Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court found Sakiru guilty on Tuesday, on an amended two-count charge of attempted sexual assault by penetration and indecent treatment of a child.
Justice Oshodi chided the convict for betraying the trust reposed in him by the parents of the student, who enrolled their ward in the Islamic school. “You betrayed this trust in the most deplorable manner,” he said.
The court held that the convict’s actions showed a pattern of “predatory behavior,” and that he subjected the female student to force and inappropriate touch.
The court noted that religious leaders and teachers like the convict occupy an important position in society, and that when they break the trust of society by “preying” on children, the court must respond with appropriate sanctions.
“These offences are very serious, and the facts of this case are alarming,” Justice Oshodi said. “As an imam and an Arabic school teacher, you occupy a position of significant trust.”, he added.
The court sentenced Sakiru to 14 years imprisonment on count one and seven years imprisonment on count two, with the terms to run consecutively.
The court also ordered that the convict’s name be registered in the Lagos State Sexual Offences Register.
Defence counsel, Mr. Nelson Onyejaka, had pleaded for mercy on behalf of the convict, while the prosecutor, Ms. Bukola Okeowo, urged the court to sentence the convict accordingly.
