A Delta State High Court sitting in Kwale has convicted and sentenced a 55-year-old man, Emmanuel Akpan, to 20 years imprisonment with hard labour for the rape of a 9-year-old girl in Azunze community, Ndokwa West Local Government Area.
The judgment was delivered on April 28, 2026, by Justice O. Enenmo, following the defendant’s conviction on a one-count charge of rape.
The prosecution, led by Mrs. Catherine Onoberhie-Oberuomo of the Delta State Ministry of Justice, told the court that the victim was the daughter of the defendant’s fiancée and was living with her aunt at the time of the incident.
She said the offence occurred in the absence of the defendant’s fiancée, during which he allegedly assaulted the victim on multiple occasions between 2023 and September 2024.
The court heard that the defendant threatened the victim not to report the incident. However, she later confided in her mother, who reported the matter to the authorities.
The prosecution tendered evidence which the court accepted as sufficient to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt.
Delivering judgment, Justice Enenmo found Emmanuel Akpan guilty and sentenced him to 20 years imprisonment with hard labour.