A Canadian court has sentenced a 25-year-old Nigerian-born man, Omogbolahan “Teddy” Jegede, to two years in prison for sexually assaulting two women, a decision that has ignited widespread national debate over the role of race, background and social pressures in sentencing for serious crimes.
Jegede, a former university football player at St. Francis Xavier University (St. FX) in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, was convicted by a jury earlier this year over assaults that occurred in 2022 and 2023 at residences on campus.
Delivering judgment, Justice Frank Hoskins of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court said the sentence would have been significantly longer but for mitigating factors outlined in an Impact of Race and Culture Assessment (IRCA), alongside a pre-sentence report and other considerations.
“It should be noted that but for the contents of the Impact of Race and Culture Assessment, the pre-sentence report and all the mitigating factors surrounding Mr. Jegede, this sentence would have been much higher,” the judge said.
Details of the assaults
Evidence presented at trial showed that Jegede physically dominated both victims. One woman testified that he choked her nearly into unconsciousness, while the other was forced to perform a sexual act. The court heard that both victims were significantly smaller in size than Jegede and were unable to resist his control.
Justice Hoskins described the offences as violent, invasive and deeply traumatic, stressing that they were not isolated incidents.
“These are two very serious sexual offences against two different victims at the same school, in similar circumstances, approximately five months apart,” he said, adding that the pattern was “concerning” and raised questions about public safety.
Race, pressure and mitigation
Central to the sentencing decision was the IRCA — a relatively new report used in Canadian courts to assess how racism, marginalisation, social isolation and cultural factors may have influenced an offender’s actions.
The author of the report stated that Jegede was under intense emotional and psychological pressure at the time of the assaults and lacked culturally appropriate support systems. The report noted that he struggled with isolation as a Black man in a predominantly white university town.
Jegede told the IRCA assessor that his experience in Antigonish was vastly different from his upbringing in Brampton, Ontario, and Fort McMurray, Alberta, where he lived among diverse immigrant communities.
“I grew up around Black people and immigrants, which allowed us to relate culturally,” he said. “That changed when I moved to Antigonish for university.”
The report also cited declines in his academic performance and mental health during his second and third years at university, as well as the absence of adult mentors or role models.
Background and upbringing
Justice Hoskins noted that Jegede was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and moved to Canada with his family in 2010. He described Jegede’s upbringing as stable, saying he came from a church-going family with strict but supportive parents who had professional careers.
His mother told the court that her son experienced bullying in elementary school due to his accent and racial identity, particularly during the family’s early years in Canada.
The judge acknowledged that Jegede excelled academically and athletically prior to the offences and showed leadership potential. He had begun studying kinetics at St. FX before his education was disrupted by the criminal charges.
Court rejects leniency calls
Despite acknowledging mitigating factors, Justice Hoskins rejected defence arguments for a conditional sentence to be served in the community, insisting that incarceration was necessary.
“The need for denunciation is so pressing that incarceration is the only civil way in which to express society’s condemnation of Mr. Jegede’s conduct,” he ruled.
The judge imposed 18 months for the more violent assault and six months for the second, bringing the total custodial sentence to two years, followed by three years of probation. He noted the probation period could be shortened if Jegede makes meaningful progress in counselling.
The Crown had sought a sentence of up to 36 months, while the defence pushed for a non-custodial sentence.
Parole and public reaction
Justice Hoskins also indicated that Jegede could be considered for early parole, citing his age, family support and perceived potential for rehabilitation.
“I think Mr. Jegede will be a really good candidate for early parole,” the judge said.
However, the ruling has sparked fierce public debate across Canada, with critics arguing that citing race and cultural pressures risks undermining accountability for violent sexual crimes, while supporters of IRCAs say they promote fairer, more informed sentencing.
What are IRCAs?
Impact of Race and Culture Assessments were introduced following a 2021 federal initiative under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government. The programme received $6.64 million over five years, with continued annual funding.
According to Canada’s Justice Department, IRCAs are designed to help judges understand how racism, poverty, marginalisation and discrimination shape an offender’s life experience and interaction with the justice system.
As public scrutiny grows, Jegede’s case has become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over justice, equity and public safety in Canada’s criminal sentencing system
Samuel Gbenga Salau ✔
Dr. Gbenga Salau Samuel Editorial Board Chairman, Naija247news Media Group LLC Dr. Gbenga Salau Samuel is an economist and journalist trained at the University of Ibadan, renowned for blending rigorous economic analysis with clear, people-centered journalism. As Editorial Board Chairman of Naija247news Media Group LLC, he leads the newsroom’s policy and standards framework, champions data-driven reporting, and steers impactful coverage across macroeconomics, markets, public finance, governance, and development. With a career rooted in evidence-based storytelling, Dr. Samuel is committed to elevating editorial integrity, nurturing young newsroom talent, and positioning Naija247news as a trusted, agenda-shaping voice in Nigeria’s media and policy space.
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