Lagos Teacher Sentenced to Life for Sexually Assaulting Eight-Year-Old Pupil

Nwatu Isaac, a former teacher at El-Bossaa Nursery and Primary School in Epe, Lagos, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court. The judgment, delivered on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, followed Isaac's conviction for sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl on March 10, 2022. The court found that Isaac, whom the child knew as "Master Isaac," took her into the school's male toilet, locked the door, and sexually assaulted her.

The prosecution's case relied on multiple forms of corroborating evidence. The child, who was nine years old at the time of testimony, gave a clear and consistent account of the assault in court. Her mother testified that she noticed blood on the girl's underwear and vagina after the child returned home from school that day. Medical examination at the Mirabel Centre revealed physical findings—including an easily dilatable introitus, absent hymen, and marked laxity of the anal sphincter—consistent with penile penetration. Justice Oshodi found the child's testimony credible and coherent, supported by the mother's observations and the medical evidence.

Isaac's defence centred on denial and alibi claims. He denied going beyond the school gate on the day of the incident, maintaining he remained at the gate to collect pupils. However, Justice Oshodi rejected this position, noting that Isaac's own evidence placed him at the school at the material time, and the victim identified him as the person who took her into the toilet. The court also dismissed defence suggestions that the school toilet was too small for the offence or that the child could have been abused by her stepsister. Justice Oshodi concluded that the prosecution had proved all elements of the offence beyond reasonable doubt.

During sentencing, the judge emphasised the gravity of Isaac's breach of trust. Isaac had been the child's teacher and was entrusted by parents in the community to transport their children. Justice Oshodi stated that Isaac had abused this trust by using his relationship with the child to lure her into the toilet. The judge also noted that the offence occurred within a school where parents expected their children to be safe. Isaac was prosecuted under Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, which prescribes life imprisonment for unlawful sexual intercourse with a child.

In addition to the custodial sentence, the court ordered that Isaac's name be registered in the Lagos State Sexual Offenders Register, in accordance with Sections 33 and 38 of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency Law, 2021. Justice Oshodi further directed the prosecution to take immediate steps under the Victim Assistance and Witness Protection Law, 2022, to secure protection and support for the survivor and her family. This direction followed a complaint from the victim's mother that both she and the child had allegedly faced intimidation from school staff.