Amechi Ogo, a 28-year-old father, was found guilty of raping his 4-year-old daughter when she was four years old and was sentenced to life in prison by the Delta State High Court in Asaba, which is presided over by Honorable Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge.
The defendant was charged with rape for engaging in unauthorized sexual intercourse with his child in Asaba on May 31, 2018, in violation of Section 218 of Delta State’s Criminal Code.
The defendant returned home on a crucial day and requested sex from his wife, according to the prosecution, which was led by the Director of Sexual Offences Unit, Ministry of Justice, Mrs P.U. Akamagwuna. The defendant forced himself on his daughter, who was four years old after his wife rejected him and left the house on an errand. He fled the scene after being caught in the act by a neighbour.
He was later arrested by the police. A confessional statement made by the defendant was presented in court.
During his trial, the defendant retracted the confessional statement and said he did not commit the crime.
In her ruling on February 1st 2023, Honorable Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge stated that the confessional statement of the defendant, along with the testimony of the witness who saw him in the act and the 4-year-old child, established beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crime.
According to Justice Azinge, the defendant’s claim that he lost all sense of reason after a native doctor touched him and told him to have sex with any woman he saw was unjustifiable and an afterthought. This claim was made in the defendant’s confessional statement.
She characterized the defendant as a paedophile who violated God’s laws by raping his daughter in a callous, animalistic, and barbaric manner.
She claimed that society needed to be shielded against people who prey on children, like the defendant.
The defendant was then given a life sentence by the court.
The State Ministry of Justice will continue to vigorously prosecute all sex-related offenders in accordance with the ministry’s zero-tolerance policy for such horrific crimes, according to Mrs P. U. Akamagwuna, who spoke to a newsman following the judgment.
