The Children, Sexual and Gender-based Violence Court of Anambra State, in Awka, the state capital of Anambra State, has sentenced two suspects, identified as Kingsley Okeke, aged, 22 years and Chukwuemeka Nweke, aged, 27 years, for child theft and illegal trafficking of children.
The suspects was brought before the court, in 2023, on a four-count charge to wit: child stealing; illegal dealing in children; fraudulently enticing away and harbouring a one-year-and-two-month-old baby boy; forcefully isolating the child from the lawful possession of his parents; and infliction of physical injuries, punishable under the Criminal Code, Laws of Anambra State of Nigeria, 1991, the Child’s Rights Law of Anambra State, 2004, and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition and Protection) Laws of Anambra State, 2017 respectively.
The presiding Chief Magistrate, Genevieve Osakwe, who delivered judgement on the case, disclosed that the defendants were found guilty of all the four-count charges brought against them and bashing the defendants for blatantly telling lies on oath, thereby wasting the time of the Court, throughout the longevity of the case.
The Court noted, “Based on the oral testimonies of the defendants, their written depositions, made at the earliest opportunity, the submissions of the plaintiff’s witnesses, as well as, other materials placed before the Court, in respect of the case; there were overwhelming pieces of evidence against the defendants, and the prosecutor had proved his case beyond reasonable doubts.”
The defence counsel during sentencing proceedings, briefly addressed the Court on the good characters of the defendants, each, and passionately prayed the Court to tamper justice with mercy, on the grounds that both defendants were first-offenders, and had sincerely expressed regrets for their wrongdoings.
However, the Chief Magistrate, Osakwe, disclosed that in the Law, justice is not one-way traffic, and that in passing sentences on the defendants, the Court would not be close it’s eyes to the existing practice directions, prescribed in the Sentencing Guidelines of Anambra State of Nigeria.
The two defendants, Okeke and Nweke, were respectively slammed with prison terms as follows: one-year imprisonment in count one; six years imprisonment in count two; six years imprisonment in count three; and a term of two years imprisonment in court four.
“All the sentences would run concurrently, without any option of fine,” the court declared.
The Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, reacting to this development ,expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the Court’s judgment, warning intending offenders to leave the state, as the present administration would not hesitate to put them where they belong.
She also appreciated the Court of it’s effort in seeing that children of Anambra State are protected, pledging to do everything within her powers to bring the third suspect, now at large, to book.
