Court jails child rapist in Anambra

An Anambra Special Court jails middle-aged child rapist for sexual abuse of his daughter and only child, a 9-year-old. 

The State’s Children, Sexual and Gender-based Violence Court ordered the abuser, Kenneth Nwangu, locked up for seven years.

The judge sitting at an Awka High Court found Nwangu guilty on three charges of sexual, physical and emotional assault on the child.

For having sexual intercourse with a nine year old, he will spend seven years in prison, as provided under Section 34 of Anambra’s 2004 Child Rights Law.

He will also spend two years in jail for inflicting physical injuries on the child and another year for emotional and psychological abuse. The prosecutor separately charged him for the two offences under Section 4 and 16 of the State’s Violence Against Persons, Prohibition and Protection Law, 2017.

The crime attracted the attention of the State Government as Attorney-General, Prof. Sylvia Ifejeme, personally prosecuted the case against Nwangu.

Nwangu’s wife allegedly walked out of the marriage and left their only daughter in his care. He told the court that he has been taking care of his daughter from one year after her mother left.

He initially denied the allegation and claimed that a woman he leaves the child with framed him. But he later confessed to the crime and pleaded for mercy. His defence counsel also asked for leniency since he was a first offender.

He will be spending seven years in jail because the sentences will run concurrently, the judge ruled.

Government Reacts

Prof Ifejeme, Anambra’s Attorney-General and Justice Commissioner, expressed satisfaction with the judgement. She hoped the jail sentence will deter other offenders from sexually maltreating children.

Anambra’s zero tolerance for sexual assaults is non-negotiable, she warned.

Anambra and Imo are the first states to domesticate the Nigerian Child Rights Act in 2004, a year after the National Assembly passed it.

A worrisome public health issue

Unreported child sexual abuse is now a major public health problem in most states of Nigeria, according to child maltreatment interventionists.

Relying on records from Anambra’s Sexual Assault Reference Center (SARC), a researcher found shocking statistics in the State. Between September 2019 and August 2020, pedophiles sexually abused 89 Anambra children. Girls constituted a majority of the victims at 85 percent.

The researcher also noted that most of the abuses took place in the child’s home, with uncompleted buildings in second place. Some children reported that the heartless men defiled them through their rear end, while the majority (85%) suffered vaginal penetration.

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