65-year old ex-soldier jailed for defiling, infecting teenage daughter with HIV

For raping his 10-year-old daughter, a retired soldier, Alabi Ibrahim was yesterday sentenced to life imprisonment by an Ogun State High Court, sitting in Abeokuta, the state capital.

The convict infected the victim (name withheld) with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). He was said to have committed the offence at his Abeokuta residence.

At the time of the offence, Ibrahim was staying in the same house with the victim and the mother.

On discovery, the mother who has since divorced the offender reported the case to the State chapter of the Child Protection Network (CPN), a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) that insists on Child’s rights. The CPN reported the case to the police who arrested Ibrahim and saw to the prosecution of the case.

A medical report from the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta presented during the trial confirmed that the convict who severally abused the girl sexually is an HIV carrier.

The report tendered by Dr. Seyi Adejobi has it that after the defilement, “medical investigation showed that the girl vagina has been penetrated and also has the HIV, his (convict) blood investigation also revealed that he has HIV.”
The assaulted girl told the court that, she has lost count on number of times her stepfather slept with her, saying that at the end of every sex, the convict always threatened that she would die if she told anybody.

Before Justice A.A Akinyemi gave his judgment, the defendant’s counsel, Adebola Okudoro pleaded with the judge to temper justice with mercy, saying his client, apart from being a first offender, is also an HIV patient who needs to be treated.

But the judge in his judgment said he was convinced that the prosecution has proved his case beyond reasonable doubt.

Akinyemi added: “The court is convinced about the girl evidences,She is intelligent,she remained consistent during cross examination. She does not seem to have been tutored. I find her evidence credible. Evidence of her mother corroborated her own.
‘’I am fully convinced that the accused had repeatedly had sex with the girl. I found the accused guilty as charged. I find it not in my mind to show any mercy.”