Student aged 14 tells court her school principal impregnated her thrice after he promised to help train her
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
A secondary school student aged 14 has recounted to a court how she got pregnant thrice and aborted thrice for her school principal, Adetunji Obatayo, 55, a pastor she said has been having sex with her for four years.
The victim told an Akure Magistrate’s Family Court in Ondo that Obatayo has been having sexual intercourse with her since she began living in his house at age 10 when she left her parents and began living in his house based on his promise to help educate her.
Her words: “Four years ago, my parents released me to live with a pastor due to his desire to train me.
“On my first day in his house, he forcefully had sexual intercourse with me and told me not to tell anyone about it.
“He has impregnated me thrice and he gave me N5,000 to buy some contraceptive drugs to abort the pregnancies after many preventive drugs.
“But during the third pregnancy, he refused to give me money for the drug, and I stole his money to buy the pills.
“Pastor later accused me of stealing his money for my boyfriend which led to the arrest of a boy in our school and I informed my parents about his ordeal.”
The court remanded Obatayo in prison custody for defiling a teenager and procuring abortion for her.
The parents of the victim in 2020 handed over their daughter to Obatayo, who doubles as the principal of the school she attends, upon his assurance to them he would help fund her education.
But he wound up being arraigned before the Akure Magistrate’s Family Court on three counts of defilement, unlawfully prescribing drugs to procure abortion, thereby killing an unborn child.
His pleas were not taken.
The charge sheet says the offences the contravene Sections 218, 230 and 328 of the Criminal Laws of Ondo State, 2006.
Magistrate B.A. Alphonso ordered Obatayo remanded at Olokuta Correctional Centre and directed the case file be sent to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.
The court ordered the victim should be sent to rehabilitation and adjourned the case to 29 August 2024 for mention.
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