ASABA – A High Court sitting in Asaba, Delta State has sentenced a 42 – year old Okada rider, Nonso Onyeje to 14 years imprisonment for having anal sexual intercourse with a 9 old boy.
The presiding Judge, Justice Ngozi Azinge found the convit guilty on a one count charge of unnatural/sodomy against one Oluchukwu (surname withheld), age 9 years and a pupil of Royal Pathway International School, Asaba.
Justice Azinge declined plea for alocutus by the defendant’s lawyer, and sentenced him to 14 years maximum punishment prescribed by law.
The Judge described the act as barbaric, despicable and abomination, saying that people like you don’t deserved mercy.
“People like you should be locked away from society so that you don’t go around defiling innocent children. This will serve as a deterrent to others as cases of defilement in society is alarming” Justice Azinge said.
Prosecution led by Uche Akamagwuna (Mrs.), Director Sexual Offence/Domestic Violence of the Ministry of Justice had told the Court that Nonso Onyeje (M) on or about the 23rd day of March, 2017, at Okwe, within the Asaba Criminal Division had carnal knowledge of 9 years old Oluchukwu, male against the order of nature.
Unnatural offence/sodomy, she said, is punishable under section 214(1) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap C21 Volume 1, Laws of Delta State, 2016.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the one count charge and denied ever having canal knowledge of the complainant.
In his evidence in-chief, the victim while narrating his ordeal in court said that the defendant used to drop them off in school and on that fateful day, at about 7:30am, himself and his sister boarded the rapist motorcycle popularly known as okada from former Deputy Governor’s Office to St. Bridgid’s road at the cost of N70.00.
At the school gate, his sister gave the defendant (Nonso Onyeje) the sum of N200.00 and pretended that he does not have change and convinced the unsuspecting victim to follow him to get change.
The defendant drove his motorcycle with the victim (PW1) to God Delight City Church, Bolaji Achali Ibusa (a distance of about 3 kilometers) where he brought out a key from his pocket and opened the door to the Church and took the victim to the altar where he forcefully had multiple anal sexual intercourse with the 9 old pupil. Nonso after defiling the innocent child, also threatened him not to inform anybody.
The pedophile was arrested at the park by Police who laid ambush for him after the case was reported by parents of the victim to the Police.
Meanwhile, the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Peter Mrakpor has hailed the court verdict, saying that the judgement has given credence to the State Government fight against rape, defilement, sodomy, indecent assault and violence against children and women.
He said the State government will continue to protect the rights of vulnerable persons and vowed to bring offenders of sexual abuse and molestations to book irrespective of who was involved.
