The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has secured the conviction and life imprisonment of two security guards, James Sule, 30, and Adamu Yau, 25, for the repeated rape of a young girl over a six-year period in Abuja.
In a press statement on Friday, signed by the Head of Press and Public Relations Unit of NAPTIP, Vincent Adekoye, the agency disclosed that the convicts were sentenced to life imprisonment without an option of fine by Justice S.M. Mayana of the Federal Capital Territory High Court 46, Apo, Abuja.
The two men were prosecuted under the provisions of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act. Investigations revealed that the victim, who was six years old when the abuse began in 2016, was repeatedly assaulted until the case was reported in 2022.
The abuse started after the victim’s grandmother asked Sule, then the family’s security guard, to repair a faulty toilet in their residence at Penthouse Estate, Lugbe, Abuja. While the grandmother was in the kitchen, Sule allegedly lured the child into the toilet, raped her, and threatened her with a knife to prevent her from speaking out.
Sule later introduced two other guards, Adamu Yau and one Muhammed (who is currently at large), into the abuse. The perpetrators had sex with the victim whenever opportunities arose and threatened to kill her and wipe out her entire family if she told anyone.
The young girl endured the horrific abuse in silence for years until her parents noticed disturbing changes in her behaviour, such as fear whenever Sule came near her and her refusal to allow him escort her to school. She eventually disclosed the abuse to a pastor during a visit to a prayer house. The matter was subsequently reported to the Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH) and later transferred to NAPTIP for investigation.
The suspects were arrested immediately and charged to court on February 9, 2023, before being formally arraigned on October 23, 2023. During the trial, the prosecution presented five witnesses, including the victim’s mother. Medical evidence tendered in court confirmed that the victim’s hymen had been breached.
Reacting to the judgment, the Director General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, described the conviction as a strong warning to offenders across the country. She urged parents and employers to properly screen domestic workers and service providers before engaging them.
“I am excited that indeed, adequate justice, which is commensurate with the magnitude of the crime committed by the convicts, was duly served on them. This will go a long way to assuage the pain and traumatic experience of the victim and her family,” she said.
Bello added that the judgment is one of the outcomes of NAPTIP’s improved strategies to tighten the noose on violators through stringent enforcement of the VAPP Act. “It will no longer be business as usual for them,” she stated.
She further appealed to Nigerians, especially parents, school owners, and other stakeholders, to carry out due diligence and strict profiling on service providers such as drivers, security guards, home lesson teachers, babysitters, cooks, and others before employing them.
The mother of the victim expressed appreciation to NAPTIP and the prosecution team for ensuring justice for her daughter.
The convicts have been transferred to Kuje Correctional Centre, to serve their life sentences.
Elijah Adeyemi
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