[News] Court jails lecturer who assaulted student for beating his daughter over boyfriend in Nasarawa

A High Court sitting in Nasarawa State has convicted Fred Ayokhai, a teaching staff of the Federal University of Lafia (FULAFIA) for teaming up with his children to assault a female student, Blessing Mathias.

 

Recall that in October 2022, LIB had reported that Ayokhai, a lecturer at the Federal University of Lafia, joined forces with his children to attack a teenager who beat his daughter over a man. Ayokhai who reportedly works with the History and International Relations department of the institution was caught on camera with his children assaulting and stripping the lady now identified as Blessing Mathias naked.  Read here.

 

The state police command swung into action, arrested the accused persons and arraigned them before the court. The lecturer was charged with criminal conspiracy, housebreaking, abduction and voluntarily causing grave harm without provocation and assault. Emmanuella, Bob-Praise, and Saint-Dan, all children of Ayokhai, were joined in the case as the 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants.

 

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

 

Delivering judgment on Thursday, April 20, the presiding judge, Solomon Ayenajeh, convicted the lecturer and sentenced him to six months in jail for criminal conspiracy and another six months for assault. The judge ruled that the charges are to run concurrently and that 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 they will be punished with keeping the premises of the Nasarawa State High Court clean during their sentence.

 

The judge also ordered that the third defendant, Bob-Praise, shave his dreadlocks.

 

In his speech, Ayokhai thanked the judge and parties in the matter for the consideration and the leniency accorded him. He told the court that he has taken steps to recompense the victim as part of the plea bargain arrangement.