A 45-year-old man, Ndukwe Ogbu, who claimed to be a pastor, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison by the Ikeja Special Offences Court in Lagos for sexually abusing his biological daughter multiple times when she was just 14 years old.
Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe handed down the judgment after the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that Ogbu committed defilement, sexual assault, and sexual assault by penetration.
The court’s decision was based on testimonies from the victim, a medical expert, and a social worker, all confirming the abuse.
During sentencing, the judge noted that Ogbu showed no remorse, as his plea for leniency was only based on the fact that he had other children to care for. The judge sentenced him to three years for defilement and 25 years each for the other two counts, to run concurrently. The prison term will start from December 2019, when he was first remanded.
The Lagos State Government arraigned Ogbu in February 2021, with the trial starting in October the same year. The victim testified in detail, explaining how the abuse began at age 14. She said her father warned her not to tell anyone, but she confided in her schoolteacher, who reported the case to authorities.
The social worker, Femi Oyeleke, told the court that the teacher first brought the case to his attention before he alerted the police.
Ogbu denied all allegations, claiming he was not present during the times mentioned by his daughter. He admitted living in the same apartment but said the girl had her own room. He also told the court that his wife had died when the children were young and that the other children lived with their maternal grandmother in the village.
The case highlights the challenges of protecting children from abuse, even within families, and the role of schools and social workers in bringing such cases to justice.
