An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced a 35-year-old woman, Joy Ikoja, to seven years imprisonment for inflicting grievous injury on the genitals of her lover, Ibrahim Usman, following a violent domestic dispute.

Justice Oyinkansola Oluboyede delivered the judgment after finding Ikoja guilty of causing grievous harm, contrary to Section 255 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021.

The court, however, discharged and acquitted her on the charge of attempted murder, ruling that the prosecution failed to establish intent to kill or the use of a lethal weapon.

The case arose from an incident that occurred on April 12, 2025, in the Irona area of Ado-Ekiti.

According to evidence presented before the court, Ikoja and Usman had lived together as romantic partners for about three years. Trouble reportedly began after Ikoja accommodated a female friend, Mayowa Ayomide, in their apartment with Usman’s consent.

Investigations revealed that Usman and Ayomide allegedly developed a secret intimate relationship while living under the same roof.

On the day of the incident, Ikoja reportedly returned home and found the door locked from the inside. Upon gaining entry, she allegedly caught the pair in a compromising situation.

In the ensuing confrontation, she was said to have grabbed Usman’s private parts with extreme force, causing a deep laceration to his scrotum and exposing his testes.

The victim was rushed to the Police Cottage Hospital in Okesa, Ado-Ekiti, before being referred to the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital after complications developed.

During the trial, the prosecution, led by F.O. Awoniyi, called four witnesses, including police investigators and a medical doctor.

The prosecution also tendered documentary and photographic evidence, medical reports, and the defendant’s confessional statement.

Ikoja, who was represented by counsel from the Legal Aid Council, Adeyinka Opaleke, denied the allegations and claimed she neither made the confessional statement nor inflicted the injuries.

Justice Oluboyede rejected the defence, describing the denial as an afterthought. The court held that the confessional statement was corroborated by medical findings and witness testimonies, leaving no doubt about the defendant’s guilt.

The judge lamented the increasing cases of domestic violence fuelled by uncontrolled emotions and stressed that no circumstance could justify violence.

Before pronouncing sentence, the court noted that the defence could have explored a plea bargain arrangement, which might have resulted in reduced charges, lower legal costs and a lighter sentence.

The judge subsequently sentenced Ikoja to the maximum punishment of seven years imprisonment prescribed under the law for grievous harm, excluding the period she had already spent in detention.

Justice Oluboyede said the sentence should serve as a deterrent to individuals who resort to violence in resolving relationship disputes, emphasizing that emotional provocation cannot excuse criminal conduct.