A Cross River State family court today, Tuesday, January 12, 2021, sentenced one Mr Emmanuel Thompson Udo to 22 years imprisonment without an option of a fine for raping his 14-year-old step daughter.
The acting Chief Judge of Cross River State, Justice Eyo Ita, who gave the sentence, had earlier in December 2020 convicted Mr Udo, 47, before adjourning sitting to today for sentencing.
The convict reportedly raped his step daughter at his residence in Calabar; Premium Times quoted a report by CrossRiverWatch, but his arrest and prosecution by the police followed a petition from a non-governmental organisation, Basic Rights Counsel Initiative, after Mr Udo’s wife reported his incestuous act to the organisation.
Premium Times, quoting the principal partner of the Basic Rights Counsel Initiative, James Ibor, commended Mrs Udo for her boldness in reporting the case and the police for carrying a thorough investigation.
“I want to use this opportunity to commend first, the mother of the child who was bold to seek help by contacting us at the Basic Rights Counsel Initiative. I want to commend the police that carried out a thorough investigation. I want to also commend the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, and the members of his office, for the way he conducted the prosecution. I want to commend my staff for providing psychosocial support to the child throughout the period of the proceedings. Above all, I want to commend the acting Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Eyo Ita for the judgment,” Ibor told Premium Times, adding that the ruling would serve as a deterrent to paedophiles.
“The truth is that rape has not been on the increase (in Nigeria), the reporting has increased.
“If you do a thorough investigation you’ll discover that we have a culture of rape, and that explains why somebody would ask you: can a man rape his wife? If you have sex without the consent of your wife, it means rape has taken place,” Ibor said, stating that the judgement was a relief to the victim.
“The survivor has this feeling of justice, ‘yes, the person who did this to me has been punished’. There’s that satisfaction, there’s that relief, and that is justice. Society also has that satisfaction that justice has been done, perpetrators or would-be perpetrators would be deterred by that judgement,” he added.
