An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced a 35-year-old woman, Joy Ikoja, to seven years imprisonment for causing grievous harm to her boyfriend after allegedly catching him in bed with her friend.
Justice Oyinkansola Oluboyede convicted Ikoja under Section 255 of the Ekiti State Criminal Law, 2021, for mutilating her boyfriend's genitals during a violent confrontation. However, the court discharged and acquitted her of the attempted murder charge, ruling that the prosecution failed to establish that she intended to kill the victim or used a weapon during the incident.
According to court records, the incident occurred on April 12, 2025, at Irona in Ado-Ekiti. The prosecution, led by F.O. Awoniyi of the Ekiti State Ministry of Justice, told the court that Ikoja returned home around 7:30 p.m. and found her boyfriend, Ibrahim Usman, in bed with her friend, Mayowa Ayomide.
The court heard that Ayomide had been living with the couple after Ikoja offered her accommodation while she searched for a new place to stay. Unknown to Ikoja, her friend and boyfriend had allegedly begun a secret relationship.
Following the discovery, an altercation broke out. During the struggle, Ikoja allegedly grabbed Usman's genitals with such force that his scrotum was torn open, exposing his testicles.
The victim was initially rushed to the Police Cottage Hospital in Okesa, Ado-Ekiti, before being transferred to the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) after the injury became infected and surrounding tissue began to die.
During the trial, the prosecution presented four witnesses and tendered five exhibits, including the defendant's confessional statement, medical reports, and photographs documenting the injuries sustained by the victim.
Although Ikoja pleaded not guilty and denied making any confessional statement, claiming the incident was merely a brief fight in which she did not inflict serious injuries, the court rejected her defence.
Justice Oluboyede held that the confessional statement, corroborated by medical evidence and police testimony, sufficiently proved the offence of grievous harm beyond reasonable doubt.
In delivering judgment, the judge condemned the growing trend of domestic violence driven by uncontrolled emotions, stressing that no circumstance justifies resorting to such acts of violence.
She subsequently sentenced Ikoja to the maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment, with the period already spent in custody to be deducted from the sentence.
The judge also faulted the defence's decision to pursue a full trial instead of exploring a plea bargain, noting that such an approach could have reduced legal costs, shortened the proceedings, protected the victim from prolonged public exposure, and possibly attracted a more lenient sentence.