A Family High Court in Ikwo, Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State has sentenced a 40 year old man, Ejike Nweke to life imprisonment for raping and impregnating a 14 year old teenager.
In the suit marked HIK/16C/2023, Nweke was accused of rape, an offence contrary to Section 34 of Ebonyi State Child Rights and Other Related Matters Law 2010.
He was found guilty of raping the girl, a female tobacco seller (name withheld) in the month of December 2022 at Agalagu Amagu community in the council area.
Nweke was said to have waylaid the girl while she was on her way to their evening rural market where she assists her mother in selling tobacco snuff to make ends meet.
Delivering judgement on the matter the trial Magistrate, Blessing Chukwu, having considered the merits, confessional statements and evidences in the matter, noted that the prosecutor proved the case of rape beyond reasonable doubt.
Chukwu, therefore found the defendant guilty as charged and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
The Chief State Counsel at the state Ministry of Justice, Ijeoma Mike- Ajanwachukwu who prosecuted the matter, expressed satisfaction with the life imprisonment and called for stoppage of evening or night markets in all Nigerian communities to reduce the rate of crimes.
“The case of prosecution is that the 14 year- old female victim (name withheld) usually assists her poor widowed mother in selling tobacco snuff in their village night market in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
“Sometime in the month of December 2022, the defendant called her to his house in disguise to patronize her by buying snuff and forcefully dragged her inside his room and had unlawful carnal knowledge of her which resulted in pregnancy, a child now carrying another child.
“Ejjike, throughout the trial, never denied raping the teenager; rather he said he intends to marry her. But considering the law in section 34 of Ebonyi State Child Rights and Related Matters Law 2010, consent of the under aged is immaterial”, she said.
Daily Sun
