The National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has secured a life imprisonment sentence at the High Court in Abuja against a public officer, Dr. Abubakar Mustapha Danraka, for sodomy.
A statement released by the agency's spokesman, Vincent Adekoye, stated that the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, sitting in Kubwa, Abuja, and presided over by Hon. Justice Asmau Akanbi-Yusuf, on Monday, September 18, convicted and sentenced Danraka, Ph.D holder to life imprisonment for rape (Sodomy) under Section 1 of the VAPP Act of 2015.
Adekoye stated that Danraka was a former Chief Pharmacist of the National Hospital, Abuja, and Senior Special Adviser (Technical) to the Director of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development. The statement added that the convict was arrested on March 27th, 2020, for defiling a minor (name withheld), who happened to be his neighbour, living in the same estate with him in Abuja. The statement disclosed that the convict lured the victim to his apartment and had anal intercourse with him after stupefying him with a drink.
Adekoye said Dankara was charged to court on 9th August 2021, and was arraigned on 5th April. 2022 where he pleaded "not guilty."
The prosecution team from NAPTIP sufficiently proved the charge beyond a reasonable doubt which led to the September 18, 2023 judgment.
Reacting to the judgment, the Director General of NAPTIP, Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, hailed the judiciary for its doggedness in ensuring that justice is served under the VAPP Act.
"I want to specially commend the Judiciary for its sustained collaboration, and support in the implementation of the VAPP/Law in the Country which has culminated in this landmark judgment. This is a victory for us as a country. In our bid to make Nigeria a violence-free nation, in collaboration with all our esteemed partners and stakeholders, we will continue to scale our efforts in ensuring more convictions and less impunity," the NAPTIP Director General stated
This was the third rape conviction secured by NAPTIP in the FCT for the year 2023.
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