A school teacher, Mrs. Tolulope Hassan-David, on Monday testified before Justice Hakeem Oshodi of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, against a pastor and legal practitioner, Aka-Bashorun Olawale Akanni, who is standing trial for alleged indecent treatment of a 14-year-old girl.
At the continuation of trial, the third prosecution witness, a former teacher of the survivor, told the court that the alleged victim confided in her that her guardian sleeps with her.
While being led in evidence-in-chief by the State Prosecution Counsel, O.O. Aluko, the witness told the court that she has been teaching since 2007.
“I received a letter from the Ministry of Justice about my former student from Onike Girls Junior High School and the defendant, Mr. Bashorun,” she said.
The witness explained that she was the survivor’s teacher during the 2013/2014 academic session and taught her Business Studies.
“She should be around 14 years old. She was staying with Mr. Bashorun,” she told the court.
Victim’s disclosure shocks teacher
Mrs. Hassan-David narrated how she first met the defendant during the school’s Open Day, when parents and guardians usually visit to check the academic performance of their wards.
“I was seated that day when Mr. Bashorun came and said he was not happy with her performance, that she couldn’t read at her age and wanted her to start reading,” she told the court during trial.
“I said there are lessons that could be taken. He said he wanted one-on-one. That was the day I met him.”
However, the teacher said she later noticed that the girl appeared absent-minded during lessons.
“I had to call her and asked her what the problem was and she said her guardian sleeps with her. That was the first time I got the information about her,” she said.
“When I heard it, I was shocked because when Mr. Bashorun came he was very enthusiastic and I thought how would he be sleeping with her?”
According to the witness, she called the girl’s mother after the disclosure.
“I asked for her mum’s number and called the mother and the mother said she was aware and she was about exiting the house,” she told the court.
The witness said she later informed the school counsellor, after which a meeting was arranged with the defendant and his wife at their apartment on Onike Road.
“At the meeting the wife asked me to narrate what happened and he said nothing like that happened and I left,” she added.
The teacher further stated that the student later stopped attending school.
“The day she told me about what was happening in the house was the last lesson she had. So I called the mum and she said she had left the house of Mr. Bashorun,” she said during the pastor trial.
Police investigator testifies
Also testifying, the fourth prosecution witness, ASP Agada Sylvester, a police officer attached to Zone 2 Command at the time of investigation, told the court that the case was reported through a written petition in 2023.
“Sometimes in 2023, a case of defilement was reported through a written petition by a female and was addressed to Zone 2 against one lawyer and a pastor,” he said.
“In the process the petition was approved by a unit now called the Zonal Quick Intervention Squad.”
The officer said the complainant later wrote a statement voluntarily while the defendant honoured the police invitation and also made a statement under caution.
“He admitted some of the allegations and denied some,” the officer said.
“He admitted that he approached the father of the complainant to allow her stay with him while he enrolled her in school and in return she would be doing domestic work in the house.”
According to him, the defendant enrolled the girl at Onike High School around his residence at Ebute-Meta but denied having sex with or raping the complainant.
The investigator further told the court that findings revealed the complainant allegedly ran away from the house due to harassment and constant sexual abuse.
Court adjourns
Under cross-examination by defence counsel, Gbenga Ojo, the teacher insisted that her testimony was based on what the complainant told her.
“You didn’t witness it,” the defence counsel asked.
“I didn’t say I witnessed it. I was the one that spoke and related all that she (the victim) told me,” she responded.
The police investigator also admitted that the scene of the alleged crime was not visited because neither the defendant nor the complainant still lived in the house where the alleged offence occurred.
After listening to the witnesses, Justice Oshodi adjourned the matter until June 8, 2026, for continuation of trial.
