Teacher sentenced to life in prison for defiling 8-year-old in Lagos

A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has sentenced a former school teacher, Nwatu Isaac, to life imprisonment for sexually assaulting an eight-year-old pupil inside a school toilet.

Delivering the judgment on Tuesday, Justice Rahman Oshodi found Isaac guilty of the crime, which occurred at El-Bossaa Nursery and Primary School in Epe on March 10, 2022.

The court also ordered that the convict’s name be permanently added to the Lagos State Sex Offenders Register.

According to The Punch, the victim, who was nine years old when testifying in court, gave a very clear and steady account of how the man she called “Master Isaac” took her into the male toilet and assaulted her.

Her story matched the medical report from the Mirabel Centre, a sexual assault referral center, which confirmed physical signs of penetration. The mother of the victim also testified that she found blood on her daughter’s underwear right after she returned from school that day.

During the trial, Isaac tried to deny the crime, claiming he only waited at the school gate to pick up students he transported on his motorcycle. His defense team also brought a surveyor to argue the toilet was too small for the act, and even claimed the charges were driven by tribal bias.

Justice Oshodi threw out all Isaac’s claims, stressing his statement placed him at the school premises and there was zero proof of tribal hostility, and that the girl’s mother had even given Isaac a gift in the past for teaching her daughter.

Before handing down the life sentence, the judge condemned Isaac for exploiting his position by luring the young girl.

The court also directed the state government to provide protection and support for the victim and her family.