An Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo has sentenced a commercial motorcyclist, Michael Effiong Japhet, to life imprisonment for raping a nursing mother at knifepoint, bringing an end to an 11-year prosecution handled by the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Justice.
Delivering judgment, Justice Archibong Archibong found Japhet guilty of rape and stealing, offences punishable under the Criminal Code Laws of Akwa Ibom State, 2000.
The court ordered that the convict serve life imprisonment for the offence of rape and an additional three years’ imprisonment for stealing after finding that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Court proceedings showed that the offences were committed on February 23, 2015, after Japhet picked up the victim, a fruit seller, at Ekom Iman Junction in Uyo with an agreement to take her home at Ikot Ofon in Ikono Local Government Area.
Rather than follow the agreed route, the convict diverted to Ikot Nsung, where he reportedly rode into a bush path under the pretext that his motorcycle had run out of fuel.
The prosecution told the court that Japhet allegedly seized the woman’s handbag containing ₦7,000 and a mobile phone before threatening her with a knife and forcing her to undress.
Despite the victim’s pleas that she was married and nursing a baby, the convict raped her while threatening to stab her if she resisted before fleeing the scene on his motorcycle, the court heard.
Evidence before the court further showed that the victim recognised the convict the following morning at Ekom Iman Junction while returning to her business.
She immediately alerted her husband, leading to Japhet’s arrest, while her stolen mobile phone was recovered from his possession.
Justice Archibong consequently convicted the defendant on both counts and imposed a life sentence for rape in addition to three years’ imprisonment for stealing, concluding a prosecution that lasted more than a decade.
The judgment brings to a close an 11-year legal process prosecuted by the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Justice, marking the end of one of the state’s long-running rape cases and reinforcing the severe penalties prescribed for sexual violence and related offences under the law.
