A man identified as Matthew Uyangha has been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for kidnapping and raping a 13-year-old orphan in Cross River State.
Justice Blessing Egwu of the Calabar Division of the High Court of Cross River sentenced Uyangha on Thursday, July 20, 2023.
The rapist had drugged and kidnapped the orphan from Akpabuyo Local Government Area and took her to somewhere in Esuk Utan in Calabar Municipality.
There, he raped his victim repeatedly for two months before he was arrested by men of the Nigeria Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC)
Delivering her judgement, Justice Egwu held that the evidence against Uyangha was overwhelming, finding him guilty of a two-count charge bordering on abduction and rape.
Reacting to the judgement, James Ibor, Principal Counsel of Basic Rights Counsel Initiative, (BRCI), commended the State and Judiciary for their determination to keep children safe.
“The judgment showed that there is no place for rapists in Cross River as the judgment is a strong statement that the State is willing to uphold the true spirit of the Child Rights Law among others,” Ibor stated.
He also commended the Ministry of Justice, the International Federation of Women Lawyers, (FIDA), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, (NAPTIP), and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, (NSCDC), for their roles in upholding justice for the minor.
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