Anambra Court Jails Final Year Student 35 Years for Defiling 10 Year Old Girl Lured With Fake Skit Offer

By Staff Reporter

The Children, Sexual and Gender Based Violence Court sitting in Awka, Anambra State, has sentenced a 27 year old final year Mass Communication student, Wisdom Edem, to 35 years imprisonment for defiling a 10 year old girl whom he allegedly lured to his residence with a fake offer to feature her in a comedy skit.

Justice Peace Otti delivered the judgment on Thursday in Charge No. A/3C/2024, convicting Edem on three counts bordering on defilement, sexual abuse and exploitation, and inflicting physical injury on the child.

The court sentenced him to 25 years imprisonment for defilement, five years for sexual abuse and exploitation, and another five years for inflicting physical injury. The sentences are to run concurrently.

Edem was prosecuted by the Anambra State Government under the Child’s Rights Law of Anambra State, 2004, and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law of Anambra State, 2017.

During the trial, the prosecution, led by Principal State Counsel, Mrs Chinelo Akorah, called six witnesses and tendered several exhibits, including the defendant’s confessional statement and a medical report.

Testifying before the court, the victim said Edem invited her to his residence on the pretext of featuring her in a comedy skit.

She explained that she went to the residence with her younger sister because she had previously participated in comedy skits with Edem and other children.

According to her testimony, Edem later sent her younger sister on an errand before locking her inside a room and sexually assaulting her.

A medical doctor who examined the child shortly after the incident also testified that she sustained injuries consistent with sexual assault.

In his defence, Edem denied the allegations and claimed that the child initiated the sexual act.

However, Justice Otti rejected the defence, stressing that a child of the victim’s age cannot legally consent to sexual intercourse.

The judge held that the prosecution had established its case beyond reasonable doubt through the victim’s testimony, medical evidence, circumstantial evidence and the defendant’s own confessional statement.

Justice Otti described the offence as wicked and a serious abuse of trust, noting that Edem allegedly exploited his access to children through comedy skit activities to lure and sexually assault the victim.

The court also noted that the convict was on bail throughout the trial but failed to appear in court when judgment was delivered.

Consequently, Justice Otti issued a bench warrant for his immediate arrest and ordered that he be declared wanted. The court further directed the police to circulate his photograph and publish it in the media to facilitate his arrest.

Beyond the prison sentence, the court ordered the convict’s university not to issue him a certificate until he completes his prison term.

The court also ordered him to pay ₦200,000 compensation to the victim for the physical injuries suffered and directed that his name be entered into the Anambra State Sex Offenders’ Register.

The judgment underscores the increasing judicial attention to sexual offences against children in Anambra State and the need for parents and guardians to exercise caution when allowing children to participate in activities involving adults.

Edem remains subject to the court’s arrest order, with security authorities expected to enforce the bench warrant.