The Abia State Government has launched a Sexual Offenders Register to publicly identify persons convicted of sexual offences as part of efforts to deter sexual and gender-based violence in the state.The government also disclosed that two sexual offenders have been convicted and sentenced to prison by the Abia State Family Court sitting in Umuahia for separate cases involving the defilement of minors.
Speaking during the state’s weekly media briefing in Umuahia, the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, said the convictions underscored the government’s commitment to protecting children and ensuring justice for victims of sexual abuse.
Kanu said one of the offenders was sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment after being found guilty of raping a teenager, while the second offender received a 10-year jail term for defiling a five-year-old child.
Both sentences were handed down without the option of a fine.
He added that victims of sexual assault, gender-based violence and domestic violence are receiving medical and psychosocial support at the state’s Sexual Assault Referral and Treatment Centre in Aba.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Mrs Ngozi Felix, revealed that one of the convicted offenders, a 35-year-old man, fled to Nasarawa State after committing the offence but was tracked down by the police and returned to Abia to face prosecution.
According to her, the suspect was arraigned before the Family Court on July 9, 2026, where he pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him by the prosecution. Following his guilty plea, the court convicted and sentenced him on the same day.
Felix said the newly established Sexual Offenders Register, domiciled at the Ministry of Justice, is intended to name and shame convicted offenders while serving as a deterrent to others.
She warned potential offenders that anyone convicted of a sexual offence would have their details entered into the register.
“When suspects are arrested, prosecuted and convicted, their names will be entered into the Sexual Offenders Register.
“This is intended to serve as a deterrent to anyone who may contemplate committing such offences in the future,” she said.
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