High court sitting in Kubwa, Abuja, has sentenced the former Chief Pharmacist of the National Hospital, Abuja, Dr. Abubakar Mustapha Danraka for the rape, (sodomy) of a minor.
Gatekeepers News reports that Vincent Adekoye, Press Officer of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), revealed this in a statement.
Adekoye said the court, presided over by Justice A. Akanbi-Yusuf, convicted and sentenced Danraka to life imprisonment on Monday after NAPTIP’s prosecution team had successfully proven the charge beyond reasonable doubt.
Adekoye said that the convict was arrested on March 27, 2020, for defiling a minor, whose parents reside within the same neighbourhood in Abuja.
He said that the convict lured the victim to his apartment, had anal intercourse with her after spiking her drink.
The victim was charged to court vie a charge dated Aug. 9, 2021, and was later arraigned on April 5, 2022
Adekoye said that the convict pleaded not guilty to the charge. Danraka is a former Chief Pharmacist of National Hospital, Abuja, and a Senior Special Adviser on Technical to the Director of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development
He said that the public servant was charged with rape (Sodomy)under Section 1 of the Volence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act of 2015.
The statement also quoted NAPTIP Director-General, Prof Fatma Waziri-Azi, as commending the judgment, saying it would serve as deterrent to other would-be offenders under the VAPP Act.
She said, “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.”
The NAPTIP boss said that the judgment is a victory for the country at large.
“In a bid to make Nigeria a violence–free nation, with the collaboration all our esteemed partners and stakeholders, NAPTIP will continue to scale efforts to ensure more convictions and less impunity.
“This is the third rape conviction and counting secured by NAPTIP in the FCT for the year 2023,” Waziri-Azi said.
(NAN)
