A Delta State High Court has sentenced a 40-year-old Bureau de Change (BDC) operator, Abubakar Mohammed, to life imprisonment for raping a nine-year-old girl in Asaba, Oshimili South Local Government Area of the state.
Key Highlights
- Delta High Court sentences BDC operator Abubakar Mohammed to life imprisonment.
- Mohammed was convicted for raping a nine-year-old girl in Asaba.
- Court relied on the victim’s evidence and corroborating medical evidence.
- Convict was sentenced without an option of a fine.
- His details will be entered into Delta State’s Register of Convicted Sex Offenders.
- The register is to be made accessible to members of the public.
Mohammed was prosecuted by the Delta State Ministry of Justice under Sections 3(1)(a) and 4(1) of the Delta State Violence Against Persons Law, 2020, in Charge No. DTHC/ASB/CR/26/2025.
Delivering judgment, Justice Onome Marshal-Umukoro held that the prosecution, led by Mrs Victoria Ibegbulem, Principal State Counsel in the Sexual Offences Unit of the Delta State Ministry of Justice, had established all the essential elements of the offence beyond reasonable doubt.
The court relied principally on the direct evidence of the victim, which was supported by medical evidence, before finding Mohammed guilty of rape as charged.
Why Delta Court Gave BDC Operator Life Sentence
In determining the appropriate sentence, Justice Marshal-Umukoro considered the age and vulnerability of the victim, the abuse of trust and the circumstances surrounding the commission of the offence.
The court also considered evidence of an earlier alleged abuse which was reportedly accompanied by threats to the victim’s life.
Justice Marshal-Umukoro held that the circumstances of the case warranted a sentence beyond the statutory minimum.
The court consequently sentenced Mohammed to life imprisonment without an option of a fine.
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Convicted Sex Offender Register
In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered that Mohammed’s name, photograph and other particulars be entered in the Register of Convicted Sex Offenders maintained by the Office of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Delta State.
The court further directed that the register be made accessible to members of the public.
The judgment reinforces the provisions of Delta State’s legal framework on sexual offences and the protection of children from sexual abuse.
