By Ado Oyeyemi
The Abia State Government has secured the conviction of two men for separate sexual offences involving minors, with both offenders sentenced to prison by a Family Court sitting at the Umuahia High Court.
The state Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists on the resolutions reached at the State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti.
According to him, one of the convicts was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for raping a teenage girl, while the second offender received a 10 year jail term for defiling a five year old child.
Kanu added that survivors of the sexual abuse cases, alongside victims of other gender based and domestic violence incidents, are currently receiving medical care 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 Blessing Felix, revealed that another suspect, aged 35, who fled to Nasarawa State after committing a sexual offence, was tracked down by the police and returned to Abia for prosecution.
She explained that the suspect pleaded guilty when he was arraigned before the court on July 9, 2026, leading to his conviction on the same day.
Felix further announced that the state government has established a Sexual Offenders Register at the Ministry of Justice to publicly document the identities of convicted offenders as a deterrent to others.
She warned that anyone convicted of a sexual offence in the state would have their name entered into the register, stressing that the initiative is aimed at discouraging similar crimes and strengthening accountability.
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Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Uche, disclosed during the briefing that Abia recorded a significant decline in infant mortality between January and March 2026, attributing the improvement to ongoing efforts in the state’s healthcare sector.
