ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- A Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Abuja has handed a life sentence to a 19-year-old teacher, Abdullahi Abbass, for sexually assaulting his nine-year-old pupil a verdict which the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons described as a significant victory in the campaign against sexual violence.
According to a statement posted on X on Saturday by the agency’s National Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye, NAPTIP noted that the judgment was delivered by Justice M. Osho–Adebiyi of the FCT High Court in Abuja.
The agency stated that the teacher, who was employed at a private school in the Kwali Area Council, lured the child after school on March 19, 2025, and raped him through the anus.
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“The convict was the class teacher of the victim. On the 19th March 2025, after school hours, he sent another pupil to call the victim from their home. He thereafter took the victim down the street where he lived and raped the male victim through the anus,” the statement read in part.
The agency further explained that the child informed his mother about what happened, which resulted in the suspect being arrested and taken to court.
Abbass was charged with two offences rape and sexual abuse and was found guilty on October 29, 2025, under Section 2 of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015, which stipulates life imprisonment.
Responding to the ruling, the Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, praised the judiciary and partners involved in achieving the conviction.
She said, “This is a landmark judgment that carries the commensurable punishment for the offender. This will serve as a deterrent, and his name shall feature prominently in our Sex Offenders Register.
“I wish to say that the speedy investigation and arraignment of the Convict is a testimony to our renewed commitment and determination to tackle the incidence of domestic violence, rape, and other forms of sexual abuse in the Country.”
Bello also appreciated the Nigerian Police for its support and reaffirmed the agency’s resolve to fight rape and other sexual violence nationwide.