Sisters Jailed For Unlawful Assault On Lecturer

Two siblings, Miss Judith Ivie Okosun and Juliet Obehi Okosun have been jailed for the unlawful detention and indecent assault on a lecturer, Engr. Peter Otubu, of the department of Electrical and Economics, at the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State.

According to reports, the matter has lingered for 8 years.

The court heard that the accused lured the lecturer into their room, stripped, assaulted and detained him for allegedly demanding sex to upgrade their marks.

Chief Magistrate of Ekpoma Magistrate Court, Esan West Local Government Area, Martina Iluobe, sentenced the two, now former students, to two years imprisonment each.

They were charged for unlawful detention, indecent assault, stealing, conspiracy and frivolous petition against Dr. Otubu.

Delivering judgement in the case marked MEK/18C/2012, Iluobe recalled that Juliet Obehi Okosun (second accused person) had admitted in her evidence before the court that she had the key to the apartment where the first accused person, Judith Ivie Okosun, unlawfully assaulted Dr. Otubu.

PM Express reports that Dr. Otubu was held hostage and stripped unclad at their one-room apartment in a private female hostel near the university on 17th July, 2010.

The accused persons were also said to have made Dr. Otubu to issue a cheque in the sum of N100,000 in favour of Judith Ivie Okosun.

The recorded video clips was also posted in the internet by one Oziengbe, now at large.

The second accused person had told the court that she was in possession of the key to the apartment where Engr. Otubu was held, making her liable for the unlawful detention of the lecturer.

Judith and Juliet were discharged on 1, 5, and 6 charges which bothered on conspiracy and stealing and frivolous petition following the failure of the prosecution to prove these beyond reasonable doubt.

But were jailed on the remaining charges bothering on unlawful detention and indecent assault.

The court said that the failure of Mobile Telecommunications Network (MTN), to provide call log of conversations between the first Principal Witness (Engr. Iluobe) and some of the accused persons as required by the prosecution to prove his case was fatal to the prosecution.

Chief Magistrate Iluobe tongue-lashed the lecturer saying he “suffered for the sin of immorality to have gone to the room of her student which resulted in the show of shame, humiliation and torture which left his career in ruins.

“This court is of the view that there is a very strong conspiracy and set up against Engr. Peter Otubu, even though the defense Counsel had submitted before the court that suspicion does not amount to conspiracy.

”Throughout the length and breadth of the case, there is a thread which runs through criminal procedure of the case against the accused persons.

“Therefore, I hold that count 1 has not been proved as required by the law. For count 2, the first and second accused persons had testified that the allegations were communicated to the school authorities about the show of shame.

“I believe them in this, because judging from the position of the the Principal Witness (PW1) and the first accused person, the whole truth was found and doctored.

“Such situation is highly embarrassing to him as a lecturer, his family and the university community.”

Responding to the judgment, counsel to the defendants, Mr. Olayowola Afolabi, agreed with the judgement on the sexual promiscuity of PW1, describing it as “a show of shame.”

But he pleaded with the court for clemency for the convicted persons on the ground that they were first offenders, stressing that the second convict is a nursing mother.

“The first accused person, my lord, is about to get married. I had to plead with the husband to allow her to come to court.

“My lord, the first and second accused persons were first offenders. My lord also has the option to caution the convicts in view of the circumstances. My lord is a woman who knows where the shoe is pinching us.

“So, my lord, I am pleading. Literally, my lord, I am on my knees. It is a show of shame for the lecturer to come to the house of his student.”

Following the pleading from the counsel to the defendants, Chief Magistrate Iluobe handed down an option of fine to the first and second accused persons in lieu of imprisonment.