The 36-year-old mother of four, Mrs Opeyemi Omoyemi, who brutalised and inflicted bodily injuries on her 12-year-old houseboy, Joel Sunday, in Ondo State, for stealing meat has been sentenced to four and half years imprisonment with hard labour.
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While she got three and a half years imprisonment for causing grievous harm, she also bagged one-year imprisonment on violence against another person among others.
The sentence of Omoyemi was sequel to her arraignment before a Magistrate Court sitting in Akure on a five-count charge.
The defendant was said to have used stick and razor blade to inflict multiple injuries on the body of the househelp who she accused of stealing pieces of meat from the pot of soup.
She was said to have committed the offence on February 6, 2022, at her residence located at Idi mango Adewale axis of Ondo road, Akure, the state capital.
During the trial, the Prosecution Counsel, ASP Emmanuel Tanimowo applied for the withdrawal of count four charge which was granted by the Magistrate, Mrs O.A Edwin.
However, the Defense Counsel, Folusho Kayode, prayed the court to be lenient with Omoyemi while passing the sentence, saying she was a first time offender, while he also informed the court that Omoyemi, a widow and mother of four little children had been the one responsible for the welfare of the victim.
Kayode said: “The court should be lenient in passing sentence on the defendant. The prayer for leniency is that the defendant has been the one solely responsible for the wellbeing and education of the 12-year-old Sunday. She has been doing this dutifully for the past four years since the death of her husband.
“The defendant has kids and they have been crying since the incident happened as they could not see their mother. The defendant is a first offender and has never been arrested for any inhuman behavior. The court should graciously pass the sentence.”
In her judgement, Magistrate O. A.Edwin, said the sentence will run concurrently, and said “I know that the defendant is a first time offender but the facts of the offences are not only an abuse on the victim but an offence against public policy.
“The sentence must therefore want to deter others and also ensure that justice is done to the victim.”
The magistrate also adjourned the case to April 13, 2022 for trial in count three of the charge bothering on trafficking in persons which the defendant had pleaded not guilty.
Meanwhile, the wife of Ondo State governor, Mrs. Betty Akeredolu, has hailed the judiciary over the judgement, with a pledge to continue to throw her weight behind the advocacy for the protection of the rights of women and children.
Mrs Akeredolu who said the judgement will serve as deterrent to others described the action of the convicted woman as criminal and highly unacceptable, while she called on parents to be vigilant and monitor the activities of their children to prevent abuses by those entrusted to care for them.
“It is dangerous to leave your child with people you can’t trust, be more vigilant and report any case of molestation to relevant agencies and let’s work together to stamp out this and protect our children,” she said.
Mrs Akeredolu promised to discuss with government agencies and individuals who are ready to partner with the government to support these children to have access to education, shelter and good food, saying they are the future of tomorrow.
While speaking, the father of victim, Danladi Yahi from Kebbi State, explained that he released his two children to a pastor because of the Boko Haram insurgency in Kebbi State which affected his children education.
“I released them because I want them to be educated and not to get killed by the Boko Haram. Schools had been closed down and I don’t want them to be uneducated like me, so I sent them down to an area which is peaceful.
“But I was surprised and disappointed to learn about the development. The woman who promised to always allow them to come for Christmas holiday seized to pick our calls and never heard from her again until the incident happened.
“The police called us in Kebbi to inform us and we rushed down to meet the children who are with the police. It is disheartening that what we run from in the North is what they met in the South. But I must appreciate the judiciary and the state government,” he said.
Also speaking shortly after the court proceeding, Catherine Ogunjebi, who held brief for International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Ondo State chapter, said: “We are grateful that justice has been served to the victim and for the society. We are also grateful for the time that the defendant did not waste. She pleaded guilty and it was faster for us to have arrived at this conclusion.
“We are equally impressed because it is not a long sentence. She will be reunited with her children in due course as we know she also has children who are now in the custody of Women Affairs at the Children Home for proper care.
“It is wrong for her to have had two children, 12 years and 10 years in her custody for the purpose of domestic help. This is against the Child Right Law of Ondo State and Child Right Act 2003 of Nigeria.”
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