A 27-year-old man, Wisdom Edem, has been convicted and sentenced by the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Court sitting at the High Court in Awka, Anambra State, for raping and sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl.
Edem was convicted in Charge No. A/3C/2024. The State v. Wisdom Edem, before Justice Peace Otti, on a three-count charge bordering on rape, sexual abuse and exploitation, and inflicting physical injury on the child.
The offences were prosecuted under Section 34(2) of the Child’s Rights Law of Anambra State, 2004; Section 35(2) of the same law; and Section 4(1) of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law, Anambra State, 2017.
The prosecution, led by Chinelo Akorah, Principal State Counsel in the Anambra State Ministry of Justice, called six witnesses and tendered several exhibits, including the defendant’s confessional statement and the medical report of the victim.
The 10-year-old victim, who testified as PW1, told the court that Edem lured her to his residence under the pretext of featuring in a comedy skit. According to her, she had previously participated in skits with the defendant and others, prompting her to accompany him to his house with her younger sister.
She said Edem subsequently sent her younger sister home to get a change of clothes for her before directing her into his room, claiming that other people were waiting there.
The victim said she discovered that nobody else was in the room, after which Edem locked the door and sexually assaulted her, resulting in bleeding and injuries.
A medical doctor who examined the child on the same day testified in court and confirmed the injuries.
Edem, while defending himself, denied raping the girl and claimed that she had seduced him. He alleged that the child removed his clothes and initiated sexual intercourse, and further claimed that she had told him she was 14 years old and had a boyfriend.
The court rejected the defence, stressing that a child cannot legally give consent to sexual activity.
Justice Otti also held that the victim’s account was corroborated by the defendant’s confessional statement, which admitted that the child had come to his residence with her younger sister.
The prosecution’s case was further supported by the testimonies of PW2 to PW6, including a police officer and a vigilante member involved in the defendant’s arrest.
The court described the offence as premeditated and carefully planned, dismissing the defendant’s claim that the child had seduced him.
The defendant, who had been on bail throughout the trial, was absent from court when judgment was delivered. The judge, relying on the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Anambra State, proceeded to deliver the judgment in his absence.
The court subsequently issued a bench warrant for his arrest and ordered that he be declared wanted, with his photographs circulated to the police and online.
In its judgment, the court held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt through the victim’s testimony, circumstantial evidence and the defendant’s confessional statement.
In an unusual directive, the court also ordered the defendant’s university not to issue him a certificate until he completes his prison term.
He was additionally ordered to pay N200,000 as compensation to the victim for the physical injury inflicted on her.
The prosecution counsel, Chinelo Akorah, Esq., Principal State Counsel and PRO of the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), was commended for securing the conviction.
Angel Network News (ANN) reports that the judgment further underscores the Anambra State Government’s stated commitment to combating sexual and gender-based violence and ensuring that perpetrators are brought to justice.
