BREAKING: Pharmacist at National Hospital, Abuja bags life imprisonment for rape

A high court sitting in Kubwa axis of the Federal Capital Territory, has convicted and sentenced a Public Officer and Pharmacist, Dr. Abubakar Mustapha Danraka Ph.D. to life imprisonment for rape (Sodomy).

This was disclosed to CAPITAL POST by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Human Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, through a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

The statement signed by the Agency’s Press Officer, Adekoye Vincent, described the high court’s judgment as historic in the implementation of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015.

The ruling ends the three-year-old controversies surrounding this celebrated case which had attracted much attention from stakeholders across the Country.

The convict, Abubakar Mustapha Danraka was a former Chief Pharmacist of National Hospital, Abuja, and Senior Special Adviser (Technical) to the Director of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development.

He was arrested on March 27th, 2020, for defiling a minor (name withheld) his neighbour, who lived in the same estate with him in Abuja. He allegedly lured the victim to his apartment and had anal intercourse with him after stupefying him with a drink.

The suspect was charged to Court vide a Charge dated 9th August 2021, and was arraigned on 5th April. 2022 where he pleaded “not guilty”.

NAPTIP said its Prosecution team sufficiently proved the charge beyond a reasonable doubt which led to the September 18 2023 judgment.

Reacting to the judgment, the Director General of NAPTIP, Professor Fatima Waziri – Azi, Ph.D hailed the judiciary for its doggedness in ensuring that justice is served under the VAPP Act.

She said, “I want to specially commend the Judiciary for its sustained collaboration, and support in the implementation of the VAPP/Law in the Country which has culminated in this landmark judgment. This is a victory for us as a country.

“In our bid to make Nigeria a violence–free nation, in collaboration with all our esteemed partners and stakeholders, we will continue to scale our efforts in ensuring more convictions and less impunity” the NAPTIP Director General stated.

According to NAPTIP, this is the third rape conviction secured by the Agency in the FCT this year.