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Former Chief Pharmacist Of National Hospital Abuja Gets Life Sentence For Child Rape
This was the third rape conviction secured by NAPTIP in the FCT for the year 2023.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has successfully obtained a life imprisonment verdict at the Abuja High Court for a public official, Dr. Abubakar Mustapha Danraka, on charges of sodomy.
According to a statement issued by Vincent Adekoye, the agency’s spokesperson, the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, located in Kubwa, Abuja, and presided over by Hon. Justice Asmau Akanbi-Yusuf, convicted and sentenced Dr. Abubakar Mustapha Danraka, a Ph.D. holder, to life imprisonment for rape (sodomy) as per Section 1 of the VAPP Act of 2015 on Monday, September 18.
Adekoye said that Danraka held previous positions as the former Chief Pharmacist of the National Hospital, Abuja, and also served as the Senior Special Adviser (Technical) to the Director of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development.
He added that the convict was arrested on March 27th, 2020, for defiling a minor (name withheld), who happened to be his neighbour, living in the same estate with him in Abuja. The statement disclosed that the convict lured the victim to his apartment and had anal intercourse with him after stupefying him with a drink.
Adekoye said Dankara was charged to court on 9th August 2021, and was arraigned on 5th April. 2022 where he pleaded “not guilty.”
The prosecution team from NAPTIP effectively demonstrated the charge beyond a reasonable doubt, resulting in the judgment delivered on September 18, 2023.
In response to the verdict, NAPTIP’s Director General, Prof. Fatima Waziri–Azi, commended the judiciary for its unwavering commitment to upholding justice under the VAPP Act.
“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. This is a victory for us as a country. In our bid to make Nigeria a violence–free nation, in collaboration with all our esteemed partners and stakeholders, we will continue to scale our efforts in ensuring more convictions and less impunity,” the NAPTIP Director General stated
This was the third rape conviction secured by NAPTIP in the FCT for the year 2023.