KINGSLEY EBERE
A 27-year-old undergraduate has been handed a 35-year prison term by a Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Court in Awka, Anambra State, for the alleged sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl.
The convict, identified as Wisdom Edem, a final-year Mass Communication student, was found guilty on Wednesday in a judgment delivered by Justice Peace Otti in suit No. A/3C/2024.
The court convicted him on three separate counts brought by the Anambra State Government and sentenced him to 25 years for defilement. He also got 5 years each for sexual exploitation and for causing bodily harm to the victim.
Prosecuting counsel, Mrs. Chinelo Akorah, a Principal State Counsel, told the court that the student deceived the minor by inviting her to his apartment to participate in a comedy skit.
In evidence, the survivor said she visited the defendant’s home with her younger sibling. She told the court that after sending the sibling out, the defendant allegedly shut the door and assaulted her.
Medical evidence presented before the court showed the child sustained injuries on the day of the incident. A doctor who examined her testified to findings consistent with sexual violence.
The state called six witnesses during trial and tendered key exhibits, including a written statement made by the defendant and the medical report from the hospital.
Edem denied the allegations in his defence. He told the court the minor came to him willingly. Justice Otti rejected the claim, stating that under the law, a child below 18 cannot give consent to sex.
In her judgment, the judge said the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. She described the act as deliberate and said it was supported by witness testimony, medical proof, and the defendant’s own statement.
Because the convict was not in court, Justice Otti issued a bench warrant under the Anambra Administration of Criminal Justice Law. She also ordered security agencies to declare him wanted and circulate his photographs.
Beyond the jail term, the court gave two additional orders. It directed the defendant’s university to hold back his degree until he serves the sentence, and it ordered him to pay ₦200,000 to the survivor as compensation for injuries.
The case was prosecuted under the Anambra Child Rights Law 2004 and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law 2017. Child rights advocates in the state have hailed the judgment as a strong warning against sexual violence.