Ekiti High Court Jails Woman Seven Years for Grievous Harm in Domestic Violence Case

A High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced Joy Ikoja, 35, to seven years’ imprisonment after convicting her of causing grievous harm to her partner, Ibrahim Usman, following a domestic altercation in April 2025.

The Ekiti State Ministry of Justice had charged Ikoja with attempted murder and causing grievous harm under the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021, over the incident that occurred in the Irona area of Ado-Ekiti.

According to evidence presented during the trial, the couple had lived together for about three years before tensions arose after Ikoja accommodated her friend, Mayowa Ayomide, in their apartment.

The court heard that Mayowa and Usman allegedly began a secret affair while sharing the residence.

Prosecutors told the court that on April 12, 2025, Ikoja returned home and allegedly found the pair together in bed, leading to a violent confrontation during which Usman sustained serious injuries.

Following the incident, Usman received emergency treatment at the Police Cottage Hospital before being referred to the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital for specialist care.

The prosecution called four witnesses and presented documentary evidence, including medical reports, photographs and the defendant’s confessional statement.

Although Ikoja denied responsibility and challenged the authenticity of the statement, Justice Oyinkansola Oluboyede ruled that the evidence clearly established her guilt on the charge of grievous harm.

The court, however, acquitted her of attempted murder, holding that prosecutors failed to establish any intention to kill.

Justice Oluboyede criticised the rise in domestic violence and advised that plea bargaining would have been a more appropriate legal strategy in the circumstances.

“This Court understands that the Defendant’s action was mostly borne out of uncontrolled emotions and passion against her intimate partner. However, there is no justification for violence and this should serve as a deterrence to any other aggressive partners or would-be aggressive partners.”

The judge subsequently imposed the maximum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment under Section 255 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021, excluding the period the defendant had already spent in detention.

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