Nigeria’s National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has successfully secured the sentencing of pharmacist Abubakar Danraka to life imprisonment on rape charges. This groundbreaking verdict was announced by NAPTIP’s Press Officer, Mr. Vincent Adekoye, in a statement released on Tuesday.
The judgment was handed down by an FCT High Court situated in Kubwa on Monday, with Justice A. Akanbi-Yusuf presiding. The NAPTIP prosecution team, through compelling evidence, effectively established the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Abubakar Danraka faced charges dating back to August 9, 2021, and was subsequently arraigned on April 5, 2022. Despite the charges, the convict pleaded not guilty.
Danraka, 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, was accused under Section 1 of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act of 2015.
The case stemmed from his arrest on March 27, 2020, when he was accused of sexually assaulting a minor who resided in the same neighbourhood in Abuja. The victim was lured into his apartment, where she was allegedly drugged and subjected to sexual abuse.
This landmark judgment marks the conclusion of a controversial rape trial that spanned three years.
NAPTIP Director-General, Prof. Fatma Waziri-Azi, expressed her appreciation for the verdict, emphasizing its significance as a deterrent to potential offenders under the VAPP Act. She stated, “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.”
Waziri-Azi further highlighted the importance of this judgment for the entire nation, saying, “In a bid to make Nigeria a violence-free nation, with the collaboration of 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.”
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