Boyfriend Palaver: Court Jails Lecturer For Assaulting Student

For assaulting a female student, Blessing Mathias over alleged boyfriend’s palaver, a teaching staff of the Federal University of Lafia (FULAFIA), Fred Ayokhai, has been sentenced to six months jail term by a High Court sitting in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital.

The Police had charged the lecturer with criminal conspiracy, housebreaking, abduction and voluntarily causing grave bodily harm without provocation and assault.

The charges followed a viral video in October 2022, which revealed how Ayokhai publicly molested Blessing by ripping off her singlet with scissors.

In the video, Blessing was also flogged and thereafter dropped off naked in a nearby bush. Consequently, Ayokhai and his daughter, Emmanuella, who allegedly coordinated the attack on the victim for “snatching” her lover, were apprehended by the Police

Emmanuella, Bob-Praise and Saint-Dan, all children of Ayokhai, were joined in the case as the 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants respectively.

Though the defendants had pleaded not guilty during the trial, their counsel, AU Idris, later approached the court with an offer for a plea bargain.

Delivering judgment on Thursday, the presiding judge, Solomon Ayenajeh, convicted the first defendant and sentenced him to six months in jail for criminal conspiracy and another six months for assault. Both charges are to run concurrently.

The judge also said the six months period in which Ayokhai has been in the custody of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) will be counted.

Ruling on the offence of the children, the judge said they will spend six months on probation considering their ages.

The judge said their punishment will be to keep the Nasarawa State High Court premises clean during their sentence period.

Also, the court directed the third defendant, Bob-Praise, to shave his dreadlocks as part of the punishment.

Reacting to his sentence, the Lecturer, Ayokhai thanked the judge and parties in the matter for their consideration and the leniency accorded him.

He informed the Court that steps have already been taken to recompense the victim as part of the plea bargain arrangement.