Yemi Kosoko in Jos
Amnesty International Nigeria has called on Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang to direct the immediate reinstatement of a rape case involving a four-year-old girl, describing its discontinuance as a miscarriage of justice and a setback for the protection of survivors of sexual violence.
Addressing journalists in Jos, Amnesty International’s Country Director, Isa Sanusi, criticised the decision of the Plateau State Attorney-General’s office to withdraw the case despite a subsisting bench warrant issued against the defendant for failing to appear in court.
Sanusi said Amnesty was not declaring the accused guilty but insisted that the courts must be allowed to determine his innocence or guilt through due process.
He warned that abandoning such a case could undermine public confidence in the justice system and embolden perpetrators of sexual violence.
The organisation urged the state government to reverse the withdrawal, reinstate the charges and ensure the police execute the court’s arrest warrant so that the trial can continue.
Programme Manager of Amnesty International Nigeria, Barbara Magaji, said the organisation had engaged relevant authorities and written petitions seeking explanations for the discontinuance but was yet to receive a satisfactory response.
She maintained that justice must be pursued in the interest of the child survivor and her family.
Also speaking, counsel to the survivor, Stella Samuel, recounted how the matter emerged during a family dispute before alleged evidence of sexual abuse was discovered after the child was reunited with her mother.
She said police investigations and medical examinations were conducted before the case proceeded to court.
Samuel appealed to the Attorney-General to reconsider the decision, stressing that the child deserves justice and that allowing the matter to proceed would also give the defendant an opportunity to clear his name if found innocent.
Amnesty International and other civil society groups pledged to continue advocating the reinstatement of the case, insisting that justice must not be denied to the young survivor.