A DELTA State High Court sitting at Orerokpe has sentenced a 55 year old man, Collins Ika, to 60 years imprisonment for repeatedly raping an 11 year old girl who was entrusted to his care in the Ugolo community, Okpe Local Government Area of the state.
The trial judge, Justice Joe Egwu, who delivered the judgment on Monday, also ordered the convict to pay the sum of ₦50 million as compensation to the victim, whose identity is being withheld in line with standard practice for sexual assault survivors.
The offence, which the court established was committed between 2021 and 2022, came to light after the victim began complaining of persistent waist pains, prompting her mother to investigate the cause of her daughter’s discomfort.
Prosecution counsel, Miss Phoebian Onomakpome, an Assistant Director in the Delta State Ministry of Justice, told the court that the victim testified that the accused repeatedly had unlawful carnal knowledge of her and threatened to kill her if she disclosed the abuse to anyone.
The mother of the victim, who also testified before the court, told the judge that she had entrusted her daughter and other children to Ika, their neighbour, while she was away from home, never suspecting that the man would betray that trust in such a grievous manner.
Following the report of the matter to the police, the defendant fled from the community but was subsequently arrested through a sting operation coordinated by a human rights activist, who lured him back under the guise of an out of court settlement.
The defendant arrived at the arranged meeting with the sum of ₦111,000, which was allegedly intended to silence the complainant and suppress the case without the knowledge of the police or the human rights activist involved.
The court subsequently ordered the forfeiture of the said sum.
Throughout the trial, the defendant maintained his innocence, denying all allegations levelled against him and presenting his wife as his sole witness in his defence.
Justice Egwu, however, held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and accordingly convicted and sentenced Ika to 60 years imprisonment, stressing that the judgment was intended to serve as a strong deterrent to others who might be tempted to commit similar offences.
The judgment aligns with a growing pattern of stiff sentences being handed down by Nigerian courts in cases involving the sexual abuse of minors.
In 2025, an Ekiti State High Court, Ado Ekiti Division, similarly sentenced a 33 year old man, Olamilekan Ajewole, to life imprisonment for raping a 10 year old girl, following a charge bordering on conspiracy to rape, contrary to Section 31(2) of the Child’s Rights Law, Cap. C7, Laws of Ekiti State 2012.
