A High Court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, has sentenced a 41-year-old man, Endurance Sandy, to life imprisonment for raping a 11-year-old girl.
The judgment was delivered on Tuesday by Justice Blessings Egwu of the Family Court, bringing to an end a case that began in 2021.
The conviction was made public by human rights lawyer and co-founder of the Basic Rights Counsel Initiative (BRCI), James Ibor, who commended all those involved in the investigation and prosecution of the case.
Speaking with reporters, Ibor explained that the convict and the survivor were residents of the same neighbourhood but had no known relationship.
According to him, the incident occurred while the victim was on an errand. He further shared that Sandy asked the girl to help him purchase an item and subsequently offered her a drink.
“When the girl went to help him buy something, he gave the girl a drink. The girl later found herself in the early hours of the next day in his (convict’s) house after taking the drink. She also observed that she’s been sexually molested,” Ibor stated.
He added that after the victim failed to return home, her parents began searching for her and later sought assistance from soldiers stationed at a military post near their community.