by Iyobosa Omoregie

The Magistrate Court sitting in Ibusa, Delta state has sentenced a 65 year-old trader, Raphael Azubuike to 12 months imprisonment for sexual assault on a 12 year-old girl.

Chief Magistrate Nnamdi Onyekwe found the accused guilty of the one count charge of unlawful and indecent assault of the unnamed girl, a primary 5 pupil of Umueze Primary School, Ibusa. The offence, which was committed on the 28th day of January, 2013, is punishable under Section 360 of the Criminal Code Law Cap C21 Volume 1, Laws of Delta State 2006.

The convict, popularly known as AZ, who was on bail at the time the court delivered its judgement, operated a provision store at Ibusa where he was reported to have carried the victim on his leg and inserted his finger inside her private part when the girl visited his provision store to buy an item for her father.

Luck however ran out on Azubuike, an amputee, when he was caught in the act by the landlord’s wife who had entered the shop unnoticed, and then reported the incident.

“This is making three times that AZ has been using me in that same store. Any time he sees me, he would ask me to sit on his laps and starts inserting his fingers on my private part. He will later warn me not to tell anybody,” the victim told the Court.

Delivering his judgement, Chief Magistrate Onyekwe condemned in strong terms the reprehensible behaviour of the accused, noting that there was overwhelming evidence from the account of the victim and 4 other witnesses called by prosecution that the accused committed the offence as charged, though he denied the charge during trial, alleging a set up by his landlord and his wife.

He however gave the convict an option of fine of N50,000, a condition the convict could not perfect and was taken to prison custody by prison officials.