A High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, has sentenced a 35-year-old woman, Joy Ikoja, to seven years in prison for inflicting grievous harm on her boyfriend after a violent domestic dispute.
The judgment followed her trial on a two-count charge of attempted murder and causing grievous harm under the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021. The charges arose from an incident that occurred on April 12, 2025, at the Irona area of Ado-Ekiti.
According to court proceedings, Ikoja and her boyfriend, Ibrahim Usman, had lived together as partners in a single room for about three years. Their relationship reportedly became strained after Ikoja allowed her friend, Mayowa Ayomide, who was facing accommodation challenges, to move into their apartment with Usman’s approval.
Evidence presented before the court showed that the arrangement later led to an alleged romantic affair between Usman and Mayowa. On the evening of April 12, 2025, Ikoja reportedly returned home and found the door locked from the inside. After gaining access, she allegedly caught the pair together in bed.
The confrontation quickly turned violent. During the altercation, Usman reportedly attempted to protect Mayowa and block Ikoja from reaching her. In the process, Ikoja allegedly grabbed Usman’s genitals with great force, causing a deep injury that exposed his testes.
The victim was immediately taken to the Police Cottage Hospital in Okesa, Ado-Ekiti, where he received emergency treatment. However, after the wound became infected, he was transferred to the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital for specialist urological care.
During the trial, the prosecution, led by F.O. Awoniyi, presented four witnesses, including investigating police officers and the attending medical doctor. The prosecution also tendered several exhibits, including photographs, medical reports, a certificate of compliance and the defendant’s confessional statement.
The defendant, represented by Legal Aid Council lawyer Adeyinka Opaleke, pleaded not guilty. She denied making the confessional statement and insisted she only engaged in a brief fight with Usman without causing the severe injury.
In her judgment, Justice Oyinkansola Oluboyede discharged and acquitted Ikoja of the attempted murder charge, ruling that the prosecution failed to establish an intention to kill or the use of a deadly weapon.
However, the court found her guilty of causing grievous harm, holding that the evidence, including medical findings, police testimony and her confessional statement, clearly established her responsibility for the attack.
The judge dismissed the defendant’s denial as an afterthought and criticised the growing incidence of domestic violence driven by uncontrolled emotions.
Justice Oluboyede also observed that the defence could have explored a plea bargain rather than pursuing a full trial despite what she described as overwhelming evidence against the defendant.
She stressed that no circumstance justifies violence between intimate partners and said the sentence should serve as a warning to others.
The court subsequently sentenced Joy Ikoja to the maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment prescribed under Section 255 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021, excluding the period she had already spent in detention.
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