Former Chief Pharmacist Of National Hospital Abuja Sentenced To Life Imprisonment

Former Chief Pharmacist Of National Hospital Abuja cum Senior Special Adviser (Technical) to the Director of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Dr. Abubakar Mustapha Danraka, has secured a life imprisonment sentence at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FTC), for sodomy.

Naija News learnt that the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), in a statement by its spokesman, Vincent Adekoye, on Tuesday, disclosed that the High Court sitting in Kubwa, presided over by Justice Asmau Akanbi-Yusuf on Monday convicted and sentenced the Public Officer to life imprisonment for rape (Sodomy) under Section 1 of the VAPP Act of 2015.

Adekoye revealed that the ruling ends the three-year-old controversies surrounding the case, which had attracted much attention from stakeholders nationwide.

Adekoye said the convict was arrested on March 27th, 2020, for defiling a minor (name withheld), who happened to be his neighbour, living in the same estate with him in Abuja.

Danraka lured the victim to his apartment and had anal intercourse with him after anaesthetizing him with a drink.

He was charged to Court vide a Charge dated August 9th 2021, and was arraigned on April 5th 2022, where he pleaded not guilty.

The Prosecution team from NAPTIP sufficiently proved the charge beyond a reasonable doubt, which led to the September 18, 2023 judgment.

Reacting to the judgment, the Director General of NAPTIP, Fatima Waziri Azi, commended the Judiciary for its collaboration and support in ensuring that justice is served under the VAPP Act.

She said, “I want to specially commend the Judiciary for its sustained collaboration, and support in the implementation of the VAPP/Law in the Country which has culminated in this landmark judgment. This is a victory for us as a country.

“In our bid to make Nigeria a violence–free nation, in collaboration with all our esteemed partners and stakeholders, we will continue to scale our efforts in ensuring more convictions and less impunity.”