Serial paedophile convicted, sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for raping neighbour’s child
A 38-year-old serial paedophile named Godspower Ojakovo has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by a Delta State High Court sitting at Effurun Criminal Division for unlawfully having carnal knowledge of a 10-year-old girl, who was his neighbour’s daughter.
On Tuesday, April 4, 2023, the court, presided over by Honourable Justice Michael Nduka Obi, convicted the defendant for defiling the minor. He was arraigned before the court on March 30, 2020, on a charge of having unlawful carnal knowledge of a child at Effurun, an offence punishable under Section 218 of the Criminal Code Law Cap C21 Vol. 1 Laws of Delta State of Nigeria 2006.
During the trial, the prosecution, led by Mrs. C. O. Onojovwo, a chief state counsel in the Ministry of Justice, Delta State, called three witnesses who testified that the defendant formed the habit of sleeping with the child when her parents were not around. They also said that he would often give the child N50 and sometimes N100 naira after every act, and he threatened to kill the child and her parents if she ever reported to them.
A vigilant neighbour who noticed the defendant’s acts reported to the child’s parents, who reported to the local vigilante. A trap was set for the defendant, and he was subsequently caught in the act and handed over to the police for investigation.
The defendant confessed to the police and made a written confessional statement, which was tendered in court.
However, during the trial, the defendant retracted his confessional statement and denied committing the offence. He claimed that the parents of the child had issues with him and framed him up for the crime.
In delivering judgement, Honourable Justice Michael Nduka Obi held that the prosecution proved the case against the defendant beyond reasonable doubt. He dismissed the defendant’s denial as an afterthought, and the court stated that persons such as the defendant needed to be kept out of circulation to rid the streets of paedophiles. The sentence would serve as a deterrent to other paedophiles still walking freely on the streets of Delta State.
The court stated that the actions of the defendant were despicable as he had succeeded in taking the child’s innocence from her, which she could no longer get back. The Zonal Director of the Effurun Zone of the Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Rosemary Orukomienor, commended the court’s judgement, stating that it showed the zero tolerance policy of the Ministry towards all sex offenders was on the right track. She advised parents to always watch their children to prevent their abuse by adults around them.
Godspower Ojakovo’s name has since been registered in the Delta State Sex Offenders Register, and his details uploaded to the national database.
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