After three years of prosecution and suspension, an Edo State High Court in Benin City has discharged and acquitted Dr. Omowumi Labode Steven, a lecturer at the University of Benin (UNIBEN), of alleged sexual assault against a female student.
The court ruled on Friday that the prosecution failed to prove its case of sexual assault and alleged rape. Dr. Steven, also known as “Dr Bode Steve Ekundayo,” is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of English and Literature at UNIBEN. He faced accusations of sexually assaulting a final-year female student in his office on October 5, 2021.
Following the allegations, the university issued a query to Dr. Steven and suspended him pending the outcome of the court case.
In her ruling on the case marked B/CD/8CV/22, Justice Mary Itsueli stated that the prosecution’s evidence was insufficient. She upheld the no-case submission filed by Dr. Steven’s defense counsel, Dr. Osagie Obayuwana, a former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Edo State. Justice Itsueli noted that the testimony of the primary prosecution witness, Miss Anita Efosa, lacked corroboration from the remaining five prosecution witnesses.
The judge emphasized that even if the claims of the alleged victim were taken at face value, there was no substantial evidence to establish sexual intercourse or rape. She pointed out that the prosecution team failed to present the University Health Centre Medical Test Report as evidence. Furthermore, a report from the Vivian Centre, conducted a day after the alleged incident, did not provide scientific proof of rape.
Justice Itsueli also stated that the prosecution did not establish the three essential elements of rape—penetration, sexual intercourse, and lack of consent. She reiterated that any claim of penetration must be linked to the defendant, and that telltale signs of rape should be evident in both the medical report and at the alleged crime scene. None of these elements were satisfactorily established, leading to Dr. Steven’s acquittal.
