12-Year-Old Girl Kidnapped, Forced To Have Sex With Several Men Over 3 Months

A man, who locked up a 12-year-old girl in an apartment and forced her to have sex with several men, has been sentenced to three life imprisonment terms in Nigeria.

In September 2016, the girl was enjoying an outing with her friends in a park when she met a woman who asked the victim to accompany her to an apartment. Upon arrival, the woman handed over the girl to the accused, Augustine Obono, Guardian Nigeria reported.

Following this, the man kept the victim in the apartment for over three months, during which he gave her drugs and forced her to have sexual intercourse with at least six men a day.

"In December 2016, the minor eventually managed to escape and went to her uncle’s place. When she arrived, she informed her uncle of what had happened. The uncle reported the matter to the police and the minor pointed out the flat where she was kept," National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said, Guardian Nigeria reported.

The police went to the apartment and took the accused into custody. He was charged with human trafficking, rape, statutory rape and sexual exploitation. On Thursday, a court in Nigeria sentenced him to three life imprisonment terms. It remained unclear if the woman who handed over the minor to the accused has been arrested or charged.

"We would like to welcome the three life terms in jail handed on this perpetrator of such heinous, evil crimes. Such people should never see the outside of jail," Themba Masango, a local child activist, told IOL after the sentencing.

"If it was possible, the death sentence should have been handed down for this person because he has killed the life out of a 12-year-old child. Such pedophiles do not belong to our society," Masango added.

Meanwhile, the girl, who is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, is currently undergoing counseling.

Last year, the United States downgraded Nigeria to Tier 2 Watch List and issued a statement saying the Government of Nigeria was “not fully meeting the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but is making significant efforts to do so.” Tier 2 Watch List refers to those countries that do not fully meet the minimum standards of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act but are making efforts.