Judge Mary Itsueli from Benin High Court sentenced Enaho Odigie to life in jail. He was part of a community vigilance group in Egba, Edo State. He did something very wrong, and now he has to pay the price.
The bad thing happened on August 22, 2021. Enaho hurt a 12-year-old girl in a very terrible way at 6 PM on Ogieva Street in Benin City. The place was near First Bank, Aduwawa.
Justice Itsueli made her decision on Friday, May 24, 2024. The case number was B/CD/24CV/21. She said Enaho broke the rules in Section 4 of the Edo State Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law 2021. According to the law, what he did means he has to stay in jail for life without any chance of paying money to get out.
The judge said the rules are very clear. If someone does what Enaho did, they must go to jail for life. There is no other choice. Because Enaho was found guilty, she had to give him that punishment.
She also said that Enaho’s photo should be kept by the court and added to the list of sexual offenders. This list is for people who commit crimes like Enaho did.
Judge Itsueli explained that often, bad things like this happen in secret places where only the victim and the person who did the bad thing know what happened. So, even if no one else saw what happened directly, the victim’s story matched other important facts.
The judge noted that the girl and Enaho had never met before that bad day. It was also clear that the proof needed in such cases is very strong. From all the evidence, there was no doubt Enaho did the terrible act.
Based on how serious this crime was, the judge decided the only choice was a life sentence for Enaho.
Judge Itsueli found the victim’s statements clear and strong. She said Enaho did the crime, even though the girl did not agree and could not have agreed to what happened.
Earlier, the lawyer for the state, Mrs. Stella Okojie, brought in four people to talk about what happened and showed three pieces of evidence. Enaho also spoke for himself but it didn’t help his case.