An Abeokuta high court has sentenced one Ugochukwu Obiakor to 25 years in prison for raping an 11-year-old girl on Wednesday, August 12.
Obiakor, 36, who had pleaded not guilty to a one-count charge, was convicted for forcefully having sexual intercourse with the young girl.
James Mafe, the prosecution counsel and director of legal drafting in the state, had earlier told the court that the convict committed the offence on September 4, 2017, at Omu-Aleku village in Mowe area of Ogun state.
Mafe stated that Obiakor forcefully had carnal knowledge of the girl, adding that a medical result revealed that the victim’s hymen was broken.
He revealed that the victim was in her mother’s shop when Obiakor came to make a purchase, but he later went back to the shop when the girl’s mother left.
According to the prosecution counsel, the girl was told that her mother owed Obiakor money, and under the pretext of collecting the said amount, he opened the shop’s iron railings and dragged the victim to an uncompleted building beside the shop where he raped her.
He explained that the offence contravened Section 32 of the Child Rights Law of Ogun, 2006.
Delivering her judgment, Mosunmola Dipeolu, the chief judge of Ogun state, held that the evidence presented before the court by the prosecution was tenable and found the convict guilty as charged.
Dipeolu consequently sentenced Obiakor to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour.
