A former school teacher on Monday told the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja that a 14-year-old student once confided in her that her guardian, a pastor and legal practitioner, was allegedly sexually abusing her.
The witness, Mrs Tolulope Hassan-David, testified before Justice Hakeem Oshodi in the ongoing trial of Aka-Bashorun Olawale Akanni, who is facing charges over the alleged indecent treatment of a minor.
Led in evidence by the state prosecution counsel, O.O. Aluko, the witness, who testified as the third prosecution witness, said she had been a teacher since 2007 and was the complainant’s former class teacher at Onike Girls Junior High School during the 2013/2014 academic session, where she taught Business Studies.
Hassan-David told the court that the teenager was living with the defendant at the time and that she first met him during a school open day when he attended as the girl’s guardian.
According to the witness, the defendant had expressed concern about the student’s poor reading ability and requested one-on-one lessons for her.
She said she later became worried during one of the lessons because the girl appeared distracted and withdrawn.
The witness told the court that when she asked the student what was wrong, the teenager allegedly disclosed that her guardian was sleeping with her.
“I was shocked,” Hassan-David said, adding that she immediately asked for the girl’s mother’s phone number and contacted her.
According to the teacher, the girl’s mother said she was already aware of the situation and was in the process of removing her daughter from the defendant’s house.
Hassan-David said she also informed the school counsellor about the disclosure.
She further testified that a meeting was later held at the defendant’s apartment on Onike Road, involving the defendant, his wife, and herself, during which she recounted what the student had told her.
According to her, the defendant denied the allegation at the meeting.
The witness added that shortly after the disclosure, the student stopped attending lessons and was eventually withdrawn from the house where she had been living with the defendant.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel, Gbenga Ojo, the witness acknowledged that her testimony was based entirely on what the complainant told her and that she did not personally witness any abuse.
When asked whether she directly saw the alleged acts, Hassan-David replied that she did not, insisting that she was only relaying what the complainant had reported to her at the time.
Also testifying before the court was ASP Agada Sylvester, a police officer who investigated the matter while serving as a Police Inspector attached to Zone 2 Command, Lagos.
Testifying as the fourth prosecution witness, Sylvester told the court that the case was reported in 2023 through a written petition alleging defilement against a lawyer and pastor.
He said the petition was referred to a unit within the command for investigation and that the complainant subsequently made a statement voluntarily.
According to the officer, the defendant was invited and honoured the invitation, after which he made a statement under caution.
Sylvester told the court that during interrogation, the defendant admitted that he had approached the complainant’s father to allow the girl to live with him so she could be enrolled in school, while also assisting with domestic chores in the house.
The officer said the defendant, however, denied any sexual relationship with the complainant, as well as allegations of rape or threats.
The police witness told the court that his findings showed the defendant and the complainant attended the same church and that the girl had allegedly fled the house due to harassment and repeated abuse.
He also said the complainant allegedly left a note for the defendant’s wife through another woman, and that the wife later confirmed receiving it.
According to Sylvester, the defendant’s wife also confirmed that she received a call from the complainant’s teacher, who allegedly complained that the defendant was having sexual relations with the girl.
The officer added that the defendant’s wife told investigators a meeting was held involving herself, the complainant and the teacher, and that the complainant had lived with them for about a year.
He further testified that investigators concluded the alleged incident dated back to 2012 when the complainant was still underage.
During cross-examination, the defence questioned the thoroughness of the police investigation, including whether the alleged scene of the incident was visited and whether additional potential witnesses were interviewed.
In response, Sylvester admitted that the scene was not visited because neither the complainant nor the defendant was still residing there at the time of the investigation.
He also said that while he understood scene visits are standard investigative practice, the defendant had reportedly left the residence around 2014.
The officer told the court that his findings were based primarily on statements made by the complainant, the defendant, the defendant’s wife, and other materials contained in the case file, including documents transferred from Zone 2 and a referral linked to the Lagos Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA).
After hearing the testimonies, Justice Hakeem Oshodi adjourned the matter until June 8, 2026, for continuation of the trial.
