- As NAPTIP bursts baby factory, rescues nine pregnant girls in FCT
For raping a minor, a Church Founder and Bishop of a popular congregation in Abuja, Bishop Kenneth Duke, has been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment without an option of fine by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting at Gudu District in Abuja, the nation’s capital
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) had sued the 52-year-old clergy, who hails from Cross River State, for raping a 12-year-old girl (name withheld).
In a statement released on Wednesday by NAPTIP’s National Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye, and titled; “An FCT High Court sentenced a 52-year-old bishop to 20 years imprisonment for rape’’, NAPTIP explained that the victim is the daughter of the Bishop’s church member “who was entrusted under the care of his family.”
In case no: CR/702/2023 Federal Republic of Nigeria Vs Bishop Kenneth Duke, the defendant was arraigned before Court 16, presided over by Hon. Justice Adebiyi Osolo, on 02/11/2023 on a 2-count charge for the offence of rape and intentionally causing emotional and psychological abuse on the victim.
The charge sheet indicated that the convict who lives behind Dantata Construction Company, Dakwa, Abuja, on 6th March 2023, penetrated the private part of the victim (name withheld) … without the victim’s consent, thereby committing an offence punishable under the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015.
According to NAPTIP, the investigation revealed that the victim, an indigene of Ondo State, was living in Lagos before she was brought to Abuja to live with her mother, and on March 5, 2023, “her mother took her to the church located at Dantata Zuba Expressway, and after the service, she was taken to the family house of the bishop, who is also the pastor of the church, so that she could stay with them to enable the bishop’s wife to take her to where she would learn a skill which both families had earlier discussed.
“It was gathered that the following day, March 6, 2023, the convict, father of five children, sent his children on an errand, and being alone with the victim at home at about 10:00 a.m., gave her some mathematics work to solve and as she was trying to do it, the bishop pounced on her, covered her mouth and violently raped her on a chair despite her crying and pleading”.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Adebiyi Osolo found the randy Clergy guilty of one count of rape and sentenced him accordingly without an option of a fine.
In another development, NAPTIP operatives have rescued nine pregnant girls at a suspected baby factory located inside one of the sprawling estates in the Ushafa area of Abuja.
The agency disclosed that the victims were confined to a rented apartment inside the estate by a yet-to-be-identified suspected trafficking agent after recruiting them through an online platform.
It further said the facility was raided after a concerned citizen, who noticed the unusual situation and movement around the area, raised the alarm.
Meanwhile, reacting to the Bishop’s conviction, NAPTIP’s Director General, Binta Bello, commended the judiciary for the landmark judgment, noting that it would serve as a deterrent to others.
An official statement from the Agency quoted her as saying; “I want to thank the judiciary for this judgment. It will certainly serve as a deterrent to other people. As I warned a few weeks ago, NAPTIP will not spare anyone found to have violated any of the laws irrespective of status, either on human trafficking or violence against persons.
“Rape is a serious crime with everlasting psychological effect and lasting trauma on the victim. We must all rise to say no to this heinous crime and ensure the protection of our children.
“How can you imagine a 52-year-old man violating a 12-year-old girl? It is painful, and it is criminal. I am relieved that the judiciary has served the convict the commensurable punishment for his action. This is a warning to others”.
