A lecturer at the Federal University of Lafia (FULAFIA), Fred Ayokhai, has been convicted by a High Court sitting in Nasarawa State for conspiring with his children to assault a female student, Blessing Mathias.
It would be recalled that the lecturer made headlines in October 2022 for teaming up with his children to attack Blessing after she beat up his daughter over a man.
A video which made rounds online at the time shows the lecturer and his kids physically assaulting and stripping the 20-year-old victim naked. ICYMI
Following the incident, the police swung into action and arrested the suspects and arraigned them in court.
The lecturer was charged with criminal conspiracy, housebreaking, kidnapping, voluntarily causing great bodily injury without provocation, and assault while his children – Emmanuella, Bob-Praise, and Saint-Dan – were joined in the case as the 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charges during the prosecution; nevertheless, their attorney, AU Idris, went to the court and proposed a plea deal.
The presiding judge, Solomon Ayenajeh, in his ruling, found the lecturer guilty and sentenced him to six months in prison for criminal conspiracy and an additional six months for assault on Thursday, April 20.
He ruled that the charges are to run concurrently and that the six months Ayokhai has spent in the Nigeria Correctional Service’s (NCoS) will be counted.
Delivering the judgement of the children, the judge said they will spend six months on probation because of their ages. He declared that as part of their punishment, they would clean the premises of the Nasarawa State High Court.
The judge also ordered that the third defendant, Bob-Praise, shave his dreadlocks.
