MAN SENTENCED TO 60 YEARS FOR RAPING MINOR IN DELTA
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By: Balogun Ibrahim
A 55-year-old man, Collins Ika, has been sentenced to 60 years in prison by a Delta State High Court sitting in Orerokpe for raping an 11-year-old girl under his care in Ugolo community, Okpe Local Government Area.
The offences took place between 2021 and 2022.
Delivering the judgment on Monday, Justice Joe Egwu also ordered Ika to pay ₦50 million in compensation to the victim.
Additionally, the court directed the forfeiture of ₦111,000, which the defendant had attempted to use to settle the matter out of court without the knowledge of the complainant, the police, or a human rights activist.
The court directed that the forfeited funds be turned over to the Delta State Government.
The prosecution, led by Miss Phoebian Onomakpome, an Assistant Director in the Delta State Ministry of Justice, told the court that the victim testified that the accused repeatedly subjected her to unlawful sexual acts and threatened to kill her if she disclosed the abuse.
The girl’s mother also testified that she had entrusted her children, including the victim, to the defendant, their neighbour, during her absence.
The girl eventually revealed the abuse after complaining of persistent waist pains.
Following a report to the police, the defendant fled but was later apprehended in a sting operation coordinated by a human rights activist. He was lured under the pretense of a settlement discussion and arrested upon arriving with ₦111,000, allegedly intended to suppress the case.
During the trial, the defendant denied all allegations and called only his wife as a witness.
In his ruling, Justice Joe Egwu held that the prosecution had proven the case beyond a reasonable doubt, sentencing the defendant to 60 years in prison and emphasizing that the judgment should serve as a warning to others.
In a similar case in 2025, an Ekiti State High Court, Ado Ekiti Division, sentenced 33-year-old Olamilekan Ajewole to life imprisonment for raping a 10-year-old girl.
The charge stated that on June 29, 2024, at Ayetoro Ekiti, the defendant conspired to rape a 10-year-old girl, in violation of Section 31(2) of the Child’s Rights Law, Cap.C7, Laws of Ekiti State 2012.
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