BDC Operator Sentence To Life Imprisonment For Raping 9-Year-Old Girl In Delta

A Delta State High Court has sentenced a 40-year-old Bureau de Change operator, Abubakar Mohammed, to life imprisonment for raping a nine-year-old girl in Asaba, Oshimili South Local Government Area of the state.

Mohammed was prosecuted by the Delta State Ministry of Justice under Sections 3(1)(a) and 4(1) of the Delta State Violence Against Persons Law, 2020, in Charge No. DTHC/ASB/CR/26/2025.

Delivering judgment, Justice Onome Marshal-Umukoro held that the prosecution had established all the essential elements of the offence beyond reasonable doubt.

The prosecution was led by Mrs Victoria Ibegbulem, Principal State Counsel in the Sexual Offences Unit of the Delta State Ministry of Justice.

The court relied principally on the direct testimony of the child, which was supported by medical evidence, before finding Mohammed guilty of the offence.

While determining the appropriate punishment, Justice Marshal-Umukoro considered the victim’s age and vulnerability, the abuse of trust involved and the circumstances surrounding the offence.

The court also considered evidence indicating that the child had allegedly been abused previously and threatened with death.

Justice Marshal-Umukoro held that the circumstances of the case warranted a sentence beyond the statutory minimum.
The court subsequently sentenced Mohammed to life imprisonment without an option of fine.

The judge further ordered that Mohammed’s name, photograph and other particulars be entered in the Register of Convicted Sexual Offenders maintained by the Office of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Delta State.
The court also directed that the register be made accessible to members of the public.

The judgment underscores the severe legal consequences for sexual offences against children and the responsibility of the justice system to protect vulnerable victims from abuse.