The High Court of Justice of Delta State, sitting in the Asaba Judicial Division, has sentenced Abubakar Mohammed to life imprisonment for defiling a nine-year-old girl in Asaba, Oshimili South Local Government Area of the state.
ýJustice Onome Marshal-Umukoro, who presided over the case, delivered the judgement on Monday, August 10, 2026, in Charge No. DTHC/ASB/CR/26/2025, State v. Abubakar Mohammed.
ýMohammed 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.
ýThe prosecution was led by Victoria Ibegbulem, Principal State Counsel in the Sexual Offences Unit of the Ministry of Justice.
ýIn its judgement, the Court held that the prosecution had proved all the essential elements of the offence beyond reasonable doubt.
ýJustice Marshal-Umukoro relied principally on the direct evidence of the victim, which was supported by corroborative medical evidence, in finding the defendant guilty of defilement.
ýIn determining the appropriate sentence, the Court considered the age and vulnerability of the victim, the abuse of trust, the circumstances surrounding the commission of the offence and evidence of a previous abuse allegedly accompanied by threats to the victim’s life.
ýThe Court held that the circumstances of the case warranted a sentence beyond the statutory minimum.
ýConsequently, Mohammed was sentenced to life imprisonment without an option of fine.
ýThe court also ordered that the convict’s name, photograph and other particulars be entered in the Register of Convicted Sex Offenders maintained by the Office of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Delta State.
ýThe Court further directed that the register be made accessible to the public.