A Federal Capital Territory High Court has sentenced Bishop Kenneth Duke, a prominent Abuja-based clergyman, to 20 years imprisonment without the option of a fine for the crime of rape.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the National Press Officer of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons , Vincent Adekoye.
The statement, titled, ‘An FCT High Court sentenced a 52-year-old bishop to 20 years imprisonment for rape,’ confirmed the conviction of the bishop, who hails from Cross River State, for assaulting a 12-year-old girl.
According to Adekoye, the young victim is the daughter of a member of the bishop’s church and had been entrusted to his family’s care.
In case no: CR/702/2023 Federal Republic of Nigeria vs. Bishop Kenneth Duke, the defendant was arraigned on November 2, 2023, before Court 16 on two counts: rape and intentional emotional and psychological abuse of the victim.
The court found that on March 6, 2023, at the bishop’s residence behind Dantata Construction Company in Dakwa, Abuja, he violated the girl without her consent.
This act contravened the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015.
NAPTIP’s investigation revealed that the girl, originally from Ondo State and residing in Lagos, had recently relocated to Abuja to live with her mother.
On March 5, 2023, her mother took her to the church located at Dantata Zuba Expressway. After the service, the girl was left in the care of the bishop’s family to facilitate plans for her skill acquisition training—an arrangement agreed upon by both families.
However, the following day, March 6, 2023, the bishop, a father of five, sent his children out on an errand.
Left alone with the victim at around 10:00 a.m., he asked her to solve a mathematics problem. As she was working on the task, the bishop reportedly assaulted her, covering her mouth and violently raping her on a chair, despite her cries and pleas for help.
Presiding over the case, Justice Adebiyi Osolo found the bishop guilty of rape and handed down the 20-year sentence.
This case comes as NAPTIP also reported the rescue of nine pregnant girls from a suspected baby factory located in the Ushafa area of Abuja.
Acting on a tip from a concerned citizen, NAPTIP operatives raided a rented apartment in one of the area’s estates, where the girls were being confined by an unidentified trafficking agent who recruited them through an online platform.
Reacting to the judgment, NAPTIP’s Director General, Binta Bello, commended the judiciary for delivering justice and emphasized the importance of holding offenders accountable.
“I want to thank the judiciary for this judgment. It will certainly serve as a deterrent to other people. As I warned a few weeks ago, NAPTIP will not spare anyone found to have violated any of the laws irrespective of status, either on human trafficking or violence against persons.
“Rape is a serious crime with everlasting psychological effect and lasting trauma on the victim. We must all rise to say no to this heinous crime and ensure the protection of our children.
“How can you imagine a 52-year-old man violating a 12-year-old girl? It is painful, and it is criminal. I am relieved that the judiciary has served the convict the commensurable punishment for his action. This is a warning to others,” she stated.
