Abia Govt Secures Conviction of Two Child Sex Offenders, Reaffirms Zero Tolerance for Sexual Violence

The Abia State Government has secured the conviction of two child sexual offenders, who were sentenced to 30 and 10 years’ imprisonment, respectively, in separate defilement cases, marking a major breakthrough in the state’s campaign against sexual and gender-based violence.

One of the offenders, a 35-year-old man from Akwa Ibom State, was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment by a Family Court sitting at the High Court in Umuahia for defiling a five-year-old girl. Another offender, a 32-year-old man, was sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment after being convicted of defiling a 13-year-old girl.

The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed this at the Government House, Umuahia, while briefing journalists on the outcome of this week’s State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti. He said the convictions underscore the present administration’s zero-tolerance policy towards sexual offences and serve as a clear warning that perpetrators will not be spared.

He noted that the convictions were among the landmark achievements recorded by the state’s Nchedo Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), located at the General Hospital, Aba. According to him, the centre has continued to provide coordinated medical, psychosocial and referral services to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.

The Commissioner further revealed that the facility is currently handling two fresh cases involving a 60-year-old woman who was allegedly subjected to gang rape and a five-year-old child who survived defilement. He added that the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection has continued to implement the state’s social protection framework by identifying and supporting vulnerable residents in need of urgent medical and humanitarian assistance.

Speaking further on the convictions, the Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Mrs Ngozi Felix, disclosed that one of the offenders, a 35-year-old man, fled to Nasarawa State after committing the offence but was tracked down by the police, arrested and returned to Abia State to face prosecution.

She described the prosecution and conviction as among the fastest recorded within Nigeria’s network of Sexual Assault Referral Centres, attributing the success to effective collaboration among the Ministries of Health, Justice, Women Affairs, and Poverty Alleviation, as well as the Nigeria Police Force.

Mrs Felix also commended the Abia State Commissioner of Police, Danladi Isa, for the command’s support in the investigation and prosecution of sexual violence cases. She reaffirmed that the Governor Alex Otti-led administration remains firmly committed to protecting vulnerable residents and ensuring that perpetrators of sexual violence are brought to justice.