Court sentences 41-year-old man to life imprisonment for raping 11-year-old girl

A state high court in Calabar, Cross River State, has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raping an 11-year-old child.

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The convict, Endurance Sandy, 41, PREMIUM TIMES gathered, was sentenced on Tuesday by Blessings Egwu, a Family Court judge.

The conviction was disclosed by James Ibor, a lawyer and co-founder of a rights group, Basic Rights Council Initiatives (BRCI), in a Facebook post.

Mr Ibor commended the Nigerian Army and others who played a part in the investigation and prosecution of the case.

“We express our sincere appreciation to the Nigerian Army (13 Brigade, Calabar), the Nigeria Police Force, Cross River State, the Attorney General of Cross River State, Ededem Ani, and the volunteers of the Basic Rights Counsel Initiative for the invaluable support they provided to the investigators and the child throughout the course of this case. A big thank you to Okoi Ukam, Esq., and Mrs Linda Asuquo,” Mr Ibor wrote.

Rape details

Giving details of the conviction to PREMIUM TIMES in a telephone interview on Wednesday, Mr Ibor said Justice Egwu delivered the judgement on Tuesday in a case that commenced in 2021.

Speaking on the relationship between the convict and the survivor, Mr Ibor said there was no known relationship between them apart from living in the same neighbourhood.

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He said the incident occurred while the girl was running an errand. According to him, the convict, who was also a resident of the area, approached the child and asked her to help him buy an item.

“When the girl went to help him buy something, he gave the girl a drink. The girl later found herself in the early hours of the next day in his (convict’s) house after taking the drink. She also observed that she’s been sexually molested.”

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Mr Ibor said the victim’s parents later launched a search for the child and contacted soldiers stationed at a military post near the neighbourhood.

One of many cases

The case is the third life imprisonment in the state reported by this newspaper in three consecutive months.

Last month, a man, 27, was convicted after he dragged a minor into an uncompleted building where he, with an accomplice, raped her.

In April, this newspaper had reported that a court in the state convicted and sentenced a 46-year-old man to life imprisonment for raping his daughter.