By SCM Reporter
A PREDATORY school proprietor, Benson Arinze who shattered the sanctuary of his own classrooms has been jailed for life after being found guilty of the sickening sexual assault of a six-year-old girl.
Benson Arinze, the owner of Nurtured Brooks Nursery and Primary School in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, was handed the maximum sentence on Wednesday after a harrowing trial exposed his depraved abuse of power.
A court heard how the monstrous headteacher ruthlessly targeted the vulnerable six-year-old survivor, choosing to strike during the quiet after-school hours when the innocent youngster was left behind in his care.
The horrific abuse only came to light when the victim’s traumatised mother noticed a dramatic change in her daughter’s behaviour. Upon being gently questioned, the brave little girl revealed the grim reality of the “repeated sexual abuse” she had been subjected to inside her own school.
The child’s devastated father immediately reported the nightmare ordeal to the Elemoro Police Station, sparking a swift investigation that ultimately landed Arinze in the dock.
Delivering her blistering judgment at the Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, Hon. Justice Abiola Soladoye utterly dismantled Arinze’s attempts to dodge justice.
Justice Soladoye ruled that the prosecution had proven the case beyond any shadow of a doubt, fiercely branding the evidence brought forward by Arinze’s defence team as “merely self-serving.”
”The evidence adduced by the defence witnesses failed to discredit the case of the prosecution,” the judge stated firmly.
Arinze was convicted on a one-count charge of Sexual Assault by Penetration, a direct violation of Section 261 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State.
Alongside his life sentence, the shamed school boss will have his name permanently added to the Lagos State Sexual Offenders Register—ensuring his crimes follow him for the rest of his days.
Following the landmark ruling, local advocacy groups and authorities have urged the public to continue smashing the “culture of silence” surrounding domestic and sexual abuse.
