Teacher jailed for sexually assaulting 8-year-old: What we know about Nwatu Isaac
Nwatu Isaac is a former teacher at El-Bossaa Nursery and Primary School in Epe, Lagos State. He was sentenced to life imprisonment after the Lagos State High Court found him guilty of sexually assaulting an eight-year-old pupil.
The case is now one of a teacher jailed for sexually assaulting an 8-year-old after the court found that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Justice Rahman Oshodi delivered the judgment and ordered that Isaac’s name be entered in the Sex Offenders Register.
The case dates back to March 10, 2022, when the girl was eight years old. Isaac had previously taught her. He also transported pupils from the school on his motorcycle.
Here is what is known about Isaac and the case that ended with his life sentence.
Who is Nwatu Isaac?
Publicly available information about Isaac is largely connected to the criminal case.
He was a teacher at El-Bossaa Nursery and Primary School in Epe. He had previously taught the girl involved in the case.
Beyond teaching, Isaac also transported pupils from the school on his motorcycle. The court later said this placed him in a position of trust with children and their families.
That relationship became important to Justice Oshodi’s reasoning during sentencing.
The judge held that Isaac abused the trust placed in him as the girl’s teacher and as someone entrusted with transporting children.
What happened to the eight-year-old pupil?
The prosecution’s case was that Isaac asked the girl to fetch a piece of paper from the school toilet.
According to the evidence accepted by the court, he followed her into the toilet, locked the door and sexually assaulted her.
The girl later testified in court when she was nine. She identified Isaac, whom she knew as “Master Isaac”, and gave an account of what happened inside the school toilet.
Justice Oshodi described her evidence as clear, detailed and coherent.
The judge also found that she maintained her account during cross-examination.
How did the case come to light?
The child later returned home from school and told her family what had happened.
Her mother testified that she noticed blood on her daughter’s underwear and vagina.
The prosecution also presented medical evidence from the Mirabel Centre.
A doctor who examined the girl reported findings that the court considered consistent with penile penetration.
Although the medical examination took place more than two months after the alleged incident, the judge held that the findings supported the child’s account.
What did Nwatu Isaac tell the court?
Isaac denied entering the school premises beyond the gate on the day of the incident.
He told the court that he had gone to the school to pick up pupils whom he transported on his motorcycle. He said he remained at the gate.
The judge rejected this account.
Justice Oshodi noted that Isaac’s own evidence placed him at the school at the relevant time. The girl’s testimony, however, placed him inside the premises.
The judge also rejected an alibi defence because Isaac had not claimed that he was somewhere else when the offence occurred.
What other arguments did his defence make?
Isaac’s defence raised several arguments during the trial.
One suggestion was that the child could have been sexually abused by her stepsister. The judge dismissed this as speculation.
The defence also presented an audio recording involving another teacher. The teacher claimed that the girl later said the incident was a dream.
Justice Oshodi rejected this evidence after considering how the alleged recantation was obtained.
The judge noted that the teacher had initially rejected the child’s account. She then questioned the child until she denied the incident.
The court therefore found that the later statement could not be treated as a free or reliable denial.
What about the school toilet?
The defence also presented a survey report. It argued that the toilet was too small for the alleged assault to have happened there.
The judge rejected the argument.
Justice Oshodi noted that the survey was conducted more than three years after the alleged incident. It was also conducted during the court proceedings.
The court pointed to conflicting evidence from defence witnesses about the number of toilets at the school.
The surveyor also could not establish that the toilet he measured was the same one mentioned in the allegation.
Why did the court reject Isaac’s tribal sentiment claim?
Isaac’s defence also argued that the prosecution was motivated by tribal sentiment because he is Igbo.
The judge rejected the claim. He said there was no evidence of previous hostility between Isaac and the victim’s family.
Justice Oshodi also noted that the girl’s mother had previously given Isaac a gift after he taught her daughter.
The court therefore found no evidential basis for the claim that the prosecution was driven by tribal sentiment.
Why was Nwatu Isaac sentenced to life imprisonment?
Isaac was prosecuted under Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. The law provides for life imprisonment for unlawful sexual intercourse with a child.
Justice Oshodi held that the prosecution established the two essential elements of the offence. The victim was a child, and Isaac had sexual intercourse with her.
The judge found the child’s testimony credible. He also said it was supported by other evidence, including her mother’s testimony and the medical findings.
The court consequently convicted Isaac and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
What did the court say about the trust placed in him?
The issue of trust featured prominently during sentencing.
Justice Oshodi noted that Isaac had been the girl’s teacher. He also noted that parents in the community entrusted their children to him for transportation.
The judge held that Isaac exploited that position of trust to lure the child into the toilet.
The court also emphasised that the alleged offence occurred within a school environment where parents expected their children to be safe.
Isaac was therefore sentenced to life imprisonment. He was also ordered to be registered as a sex offender.
What happens to the victim and her family?
The court directed the prosecution to take immediate steps under the Victim Assistance and Witness Protection Law 2022.
The aim is to secure protection and support for the victim and her family.
The directive followed a complaint by the girl’s mother during sentencing. She alleged that some school staff had continued to intimidate her and her daughter.
Justice Oshodi, however, expressly stated that the court made no finding on that particular complaint.
What we know about the Nwatu Isaac case
There is limited public information about Isaac’s personal life. This includes his age, family background and wider teaching career.
What the court record establishes is his connection to El-Bossaa Nursery and Primary School. It also establishes his previous role as the girl’s teacher and his work transporting pupils.
The court considered the testimony of the child, her mother, medical evidence and Isaac’s defence before reaching its decision.
Isaac was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
He is now serving a life sentence and has been ordered to be entered in the Sex Offenders Register.