By Izunna Okafor, Awka
In what has been widely described as a landmark judgment and a strong statement against gender-based violence, a 23-year-old security guard, Michael Okoi, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for ‘raping’ a 17-year-old girl who was hawking Ọkpa around the Upper Iweka axis in Onitsha, Anambra State.
The judgment was delivered at the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Court sitting in Awka, Anambra State, where the presiding judge, Justice Peace Otti, convicted and sentenced the accused after he was found guilty on a four-count charge filed against him by the Anambra State Ministry of Justice.
The charges bordered on rape, willful infliction of physical injuries, offensive conduct, and stealing — all committed against a minor, simply identified as Stephanie, on the 11th day of May, 2024, by the convict, at the Enyo Filling Station, along Onitsha–Asaba Expressway, Upper Iweka, Onitsha. To these charges, the convict was arraigned in The State vs. Michael Okoi, with Charge No.: 1/630/2024.
According to the details presented in court, on the said date, May 11, 2024, Michael, who was working as a security guard at the Enyo Filling Station, lured the young hawker into the security house under the pretense of wanting to buy Ọkpa. Then, after receiving his purchase, he told her to come inside to collect her payment. Unknown to the girl that it was a trap, the young girl innocently obliged. And immediately she got there, Michael called his friend and colleague to show off his gun, with which intimidated the girl, and ordered her to climb upstairs into the security house, where he then forced her to undress and lie down on a mat. And then, he defiled her.
Medical reports submitted in court confirmed that the girl sustained multiple tears and bruises in both her vagina and anus — clear evidence that corroborated her testimony and exposed the brutality of the assault.
During the trial on Thursday, June 19, 2025, the accused claimed that the sexual intercourse was consensual, stating that they “talked, kissed, and made love.”
However, the court firmly dismissed the argument, and upheld the legal position that a 17-year-old child is incapable of giving valid sexual consent, regardless of perceived willingness. Justice Peace Otti ruled that, as a 17-year-old girl, the victim is considered a child under the law and therefore incapable of giving sexual consent, regardless of the accused’s perception or claims.
Citing Section 34 of the Child Rights Law of Anambra State 2004 (Law No. 3004), the judge emphasized that it was immaterial whether the accused believed the girl had consented or appeared to be above the age of a child. The law, she said, protects minors unequivocally and considers them incapable of giving sexual consent under any circumstance.
When asked to plead allocutus (to explain why he should be given a lighter sentence), the convict insisted he did not commit the offence. However, the judge recalled that the accused had earlier confessed to the crime at the police station and even asked the police to plead with the victim to forgive him. His contradictory stance in court further discredited his defence.
Condemning the convict’s actions as “sickening, frightening, and wicked,” Justice Otti ruled that such brazenness and cruelty must not be tolerated in any sane society. Consequently, she therefore sentenced him to life imprisonment on Count 1 (rape), and imposed a fine of ₦200,000 each on Counts 2 (inflicting injury) and 3 (offensive conduct). However, Count 4 (stealing the victim’s ₦8,000 sales money) was struck out due to inconsistencies in testimonies.
While it was gathered that the victim was still a virgin prior to the incident, the court also upheld the statement by the investigating police officer, who noted that the security guard wickedly took advantage of the vulnerability of the young hawker and her survival struggle in a harsh economic environment to brazenly “ravage her womanhood.”
Reacting to the judgment in an interview with this reporter, the Anambra State Coordinator of the Child Protection Network (CPN), Mrs. Eucharia Ijeoma Anekwe, described the ruling as a major milestone in the fight against gender-based violence and a reaffirmation of the judiciary as the hope of the common man.
She attributed the victory to the synergy among stakeholders and the capacity-building support provided by the European Union and International IDEA through the ROLAC project, which equipped members of CPN to take up and follow such cases to logical conclusion.
“Thanks to the technical support from the European Union and International IDEA under the ROLAC project, which trained our members on justice follow-up, we’ve been able to handle more sexual and gender-based violence cases like this,” she said.
According to her, the case was initially picked up and followed to the end by one of their members, Mrs. Ugochi Freeman of the Creative Minds Center for Youth and Community Development (Creative Minds-CYCD), who worked tirelessly on it — from transferring the case from Okpoko Police Station to the State CID, and then ensuring it reached the Magistrate and later High Court.
Mrs. Anekwe further commended the supportive roles of the Anambra State Government, law enforcement agencies, community vigilante groups, and civil society organizations, whose collaboration, she said, made the victory possible.
The CPN Coordinator used the opportunity to encourage survivors and victims of gender-based violence and their families to speak out, rather than dying in silence or shielding and negotiating with perpetrators. She emphasized that the judiciary still remains a viable path to justice, while keeping silence over such crime emboldens criminal behavior.
“Our office is located at the State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare here in Awka. We also work with in collaboration with police, Red Cross Society, National Human Rights Commission, CSOs and other groups.
“We’re also taking the sensitization to communities, schools, churches and marketplaces. This victory proves that justice is not a myth, and that victims can be heard loud and clear. Don’t die in silence,” she advised.
Also reacting to the verdict in an interview with this reporter, Mrs. Ugochi Freeman, member of CPN and Executive Director of Creative Minds Center for Youth and Community Development (CYCD) — who personally followed up the case till — commended the court, the police, and everyone involved in ensuring justice for the victim.
She particularly showered accolades on Barr. Chinelo Akora of the Department of Public Prosecution, Anambra State Ministry of Justice, for her unrelenting commitment and excellent legal work that led to the conviction.
“Barr. Akora is passionate, thorough, and brilliant. She prosecuted this case pro bono and got two landmark judgments within one week — including another that saw a teacher slammed with 12 years imprisonment for defiling a child,” Mrs. Freeman said.
“She has the spirit of a future SAN, and I’ve personally learned a lot from her. This case shows what justice looks like when the system works and everyone plays their role,” she added.
Mrs. Freeman also commended Magistrate Genevieve Osakwe, who ensured that the case was assigned to the Special Magistrate Court and also remanded the accused at the early stage of the matter in 2024.
She also decried the wickedness of men who prey on vulnerable girls under the guise of economic hardship, and emphasized the importance of continuous community sensitization to end such inhumane acts
Also lending her voice, the Anambra State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Professor Sylvia Ifemeje, described the judgment as another affirmation to the zero-tolerance posture of Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo’s administration towards all forms of sexual and gender-based violence.
“This is justice well served, and a warning to others who think they can trample on the rights of women and children and go scot-free. That is not in Anambra,” Prof. Ifemeje declared.
Reports have it that the victim and her family have lauded the judgement as huge sigh of relief and a symbol of restored dignity; while, for human rights activists, it is another validation that collaboration, consistency, and courage can bring results, even in the face of adversity.
