Prophet Adeleye Akingbaso, 47, was given a life sentence by the Ado Ekiti Division of the Ekiti State High Court on Monday for raping a 13-year-old girl.
In September 2022, the convicted individual was arraigned on a two-count charge that bordered on compulsion and rape.
According to the allegation, “The Prophet sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl at Ado-Ekiti sometime in July 2022.” Additionally, Prophet Adeleye forced the victim to have sex in July 2021, which was harmful to her physical and mental health.
The charge said, “The offenses violate Section 4 of the Ekiti State Gender-Based Violence (Prohibition) Law, No. 18 of 2019 and Section 31(2) of the Child’s Rights Law, Cap. C7, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.”
During her court appearance, the victim, who described the cleric as a friend to her mother and was sleeping over in their house, said that the man committed the act one night when her mother was on night duty.
I found it odd when he woke me up at midnight and said that I had bedwetted. All I knew was that he had pulled out a bottle of shea butter and smeared it over my vagina. Later on, I found out that I had been r3ped that evening. “If I informed anyone,” she continued, “he promised to curse me and kill me.
The next day, when my mother wasn’t home, he returned to our home. He informed me he wanted to finish what he started the night before while I was in the kitchen. He tried to beat me up, but I got away and yelled for assistance, and our neighbors came to my aid. They told my mother about the incident over the phone.
In the court judgment, Justice Blessing Ajileye found the cleric guilty on the two counts.
Ajikeye said, “In conclusion, this court has found the defendant guilty on the two-count charge of r3pe and coercion and convicted him accordingly. This will serve as a deterrent to others in the class of the defendant who has not been caught up by the nemesis of law.
“On count one (rape), the defendant is sentenced to life imprisonment and on count two (coercion), the defendant is sentenced to three years imprisonment. Justice Ajileye pronounced that both terms are to run concurrently.”
