The Kogi State High Court sitting at Anyigba has convicted one Husseini Mustapha for the offence of rape and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

The convict was in 2024 charged with the offences of conspiracy, punishable under Section 97(2) of the Kogi State Penal Code, 2019, and rape, contrary to Section 31(2) of the Child Rights Law of Kogi State.

The offence was said to have been committed at Ajakeya, Abocho, Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, on 14 November 2024.

The victim (name withheld), a minor, was reportedly in the company of her sister on their way to a prayer ground when the convict intercepted them and forcefully took her to a nearby bush where he raped her.

Delivering judgment on Wednesday, 8 October 2025, Justice Hauwa Yusuf, after a careful evaluation of the evidence presented before the court, found the convict guilty of rape and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

The court, however, discharged and acquitted the convict of the offence of criminal conspiracy on the grounds that there was no evidence linking him to the alleged accomplice said to be at large.

After the judgment, the prosecuting counsel, Kunle Tolufase, Esq., a Principal Legal Officer with the Kogi State Ministry of Justice, thanked the court for the well-researched verdict and noted that it would serve as a deterrent to others.

Speaking further, Tolufase expressed satisfaction with the outcome, adding that the judgment would send a strong warning to those who indulge in rape and other related sexual offences.

The Guardian gathered that rape has become increasingly prevalent in most rural communities across Kogi East.