Adam Farouk, Islamic scholar, was given a life sentence for defiling eight of his classmates

Adam Farouk, an Islamic teacher, was given a life sentence for defiling eight of his students on Tuesday by Justice Abiola Soladoye of an Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offenses Court in Lagos State.

Between November 2018 and February 2019, Farouk defiled the students, who ranged in age from six to eleven, on Balogun Street in Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos.

The Lagos State Government filed eight counts of sexual assault against the defendant, which led to the convict’s arraignment.

Justice Soladoye said in his ruling that the prosecution had established the elements of the eight offenses including sexual penetration beyond a reasonable doubt.

He is supposed to instill morals, rules, and values in his pupils, but sadly, the opposite is true.

The need for this can never be overemphasised in view of the rampant scenes of this heinous crime.

“I salute the courage of the survivors for speaking up against the defendant without any fear of intimidation.

“Abused children are to be encouraged to speak up so that their assailants will be shamed and sanctioned accordingly.

“A teacher is a role model, setting the pace and leading by example as he is expected to impact knowledge and morals, but this defendant is nothing of such as he threw caution to the wind and messed around.

On the testimonies of each of the prosecution witnesses and that of the sole defence witness, I am convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the prosecution has proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.

“The defendant is hereby convicted of all the charges and sentenced to life imprisonment on each of the eight counts, but the sentences shall run concurrently,” Soladoye held.