The Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015 has recorded its first casualty as a Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Kubwa, Abuja has sentenced a 29-year-old housewife, Onyekachi Okafor, to nine months imprisonment.
This is coming on the heels of the conviction of Mavis Solomon by a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, presided over by Justice A. Liman.
Solomon was charged by National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons to Court for purchasing a 10-month-old baby at the cost of N200,000 from two others who are also under prosecution.
The offence is contrary to Section 21 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years imprisonment.
Okafor, who resides at Dape, along Karmo Road of Abuja, was dragged to the FCT High Court by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons on behalf of the Federal Government for willfully inflicting physical injury on a 10-year-old boy (names withheld).
The boy, who served her and her family as a house help, received severe razor blade cuttings from Okafor, an act which is in violation of and punishable under section 2 of the Violence against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015.
Section 2 subsection 1 of the VAPP Act says: “A person who willfully causes or inflicts physical injury on another person by means of any weapon, substance or object, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 5 years or a fine not exceeding N100,000.00 or both.”
Okafor, who was arrested by officials of NAPTIP in September 2015, had used a sharp razor blade to cut the victim on various parts of his body, including his abdomen, left buttocks and thigh.
When the case came up on July , 2016, Okafor, who was arraigned on a one count charge, pleaded guilty to the offence.
The presiding Judge, Justice N. Ogbonna, therefore, found her guilty and sentenced her to nine months imprisonment without an option of fine.
No compensation was, however, awarded to the victim.
It would be recalled that the former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, signed the Violence against Person (Prohibition) (VAPP) Act 2015 on May , 2015.
NAPTIP was made the implementing Agency for the new Act.
The Act, which applies only in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, prohibits all forms of violence against persons in private and public life and provides maximum protection and effective remedies for victims and punishment of offenders.
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