Man Bags Life Jail Term For Raping 8-year-old

 

A man has been sentenced to life in prison by a State High Court in Calabar, Cross River State, for raping an eight-year-old girl.

The judge, Blessing Egwu of Family Court 2 in the state, decried the surge in rape cases and committed Aniedi Mfon, 25, to life imprisonment after he was found guilty of the crime, Cross River Watch reported.

Mr Mfon committed the crime in September 2022.

Justice Egwu also awarded N1 million fine in favour of the survivor.

A not-for-profit organisation in the state, Basic Right Council Initiatives (BRCI), which focuses on fighting rape, witchcraft branding, human rights abuse and other repressive practices, offered legal representation to the survivor.

The Principal Counsel at BRCI, James Ibor, said the judgement means justice is served on the survivor and her family, whom he said courageously turned down bribery and intimidation during the pursuit of justice.

Conviction for rape has been on the increase in Cross River State.

The latest conviction came less than two months after another High Court in the state, specifically in Obubra Local Government Area, sentenced a man to 14 years imprisonment for rape.

The convict, Ernest Oyira, who is in his 40s, was found guilty of raping his 10-year-old niece. The survivor was eight years when she was raped.

According to Cross River Watch, Mr Oyira’s sentence was, however, suspended on some conditions which he is expected to fulfil.

The conditions include payment of N300,000 as compensation to the victim’s mother, barred from having custody of any female child and from working in any institution caring for children and weeding the court premises and maintaining its cleanliness for one year.

Failure to comply with the conditions will result in the reinstatement of the suspended 14 years imprisonment.

Two other men were convicted of rape in the state between January and February, according to a report on the BRCI website.

Godwin Akpan, 52, was sentenced to two years imprisonment for raping an 11-year-old victim on 2 December 2021.

The convict, according to the non-profit, deceitfully lured the victim to his residence under pretences before raping her.

The organisation also reported the conviction of Samuel Ita, a 25-year-old man, after he was found guilty of raping his 15-year-old cousin.

Mr Ita was sentenced to life imprisonment.

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