Six arraigned for alleged rape of minors, illegal abortion

Six people have been arraigned before the Gender-Based Violence Court in Awka, Anambra State, over separate charges of alleged rape, abortion and abuse of different teenagers in the state.

The defendants were arraigned before the court on Wednesday after investigations into their cases, according to a statement by the police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, on Thursday.

Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said the defendants were arraigned by the police in Anambra.

He said one of the defendants Chinedu Chiekwu, a male indigene of Umuoli Village, was arraigned for allegedly raping an 11-year-old girl on 6 September.

The spokesperson said the second defendants, Sunday Anele, was arraigned for allegedly raping and impregnating a 15-year-old girl.

He also mentioned that the third defendant, Ugochukwu Okereke, was arraigned over an allegation of luring a 13-year-old girl to a nearby bush and sexually assaulting her.

“Similarly, Ebuka Nwachukwu was arraigned over an allegation of luring a six-year-old child into his room at Okpoko and sexually abusing her,” he added.

Mr Ikenga said the fifth defendant, Ogechi Ofoma, was arraigned over an allegation of using a heated kitchen knife to inflict multiple injuries on her five-year-old daughter (name withheld) in Awada, an urban community in Idemili North Local Government Area of the state.

The police spokesperson said the sixth defendant, Obianuju Okafor, was arraigned over an allegation relating to the “unlawful procurement of abortion” for her 15-year-old daughter.

He did not give details of the arraignments and the next adjourned date.

It was unclear, as of the time of filing this report, if the defendants were all granted bail or remanded in prison.

Prohibited in Nigeria

Nigeria, in 2015, enacted the Violence against Persons (Prohibition) Act, which outlawed all forms of violence against women and girls, including rape, female circumcision and forceful ejection.

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Offenders, on conviction, face life imprisonment or a maximum of a 14-year jail term, depending on the age of the offender and the type of violence committed.

An Ado-Ekiti High Court, in July 2022, sentenced a 49-year-old man, Dele Adeyanju, to four years imprisonment for raping an 11-year-old girl.

A Bauchi High Court, in 2017, sentenced two middle-aged men to life in prison for raping a 40-year-old woman and plucking her eyes.