An Ikeja Special Offences and Domestic Violence Court has convicted and sentenced Kolawole Muyiwa, a part-time lecturer at Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (now Lagos State University of Education), to life imprisonment for raping a student.
Justice Rahman Oshodi, who delivered the judgment on Thursday, ruled that the prosecution successfully proved the charge of defilement beyond a reasonable doubt.
According to the charge, Muyiwa committed the offence on October 11, 2021, at the institution’s Oto-Ijanikin campus in Lagos State. He pleaded not guilty when arraigned on October 6, 2023.
During the trial, the prosecution presented three witnesses: the victim, Caroline Ibe (a lawyer and vice chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, Badagry branch), and Investigation Police Officer Olufunke.
In his judgment, Justice Oshodi emphasized that the survivor’s testimony was consistent and corroborated by the prosecution’s witnesses and evidence, including medical reports.
The victim recounted that she had arrived early for a departmental meeting on the day of the incident. Muyiwa had initially asked her to buy him food but later lured her to his office under the pretext of marking examination scripts. Once inside, he locked the doors, overpowered her, and sexually assaulted her despite her resistance.
The court also heard testimony from Ibe, who said the victim reported the incident to her in November 2021. She visited the crime scene and engaged with school authorities as part of her investigation.
Muyiwa, a married father of three, denied the allegations, claiming the victim had willingly assisted him with recording examination scores. However, the court found the prosecution’s case compelling and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
