Fresh concerns have emerged in Niger State over what officials describe as gaps in the justice system, following the re-arrest and arraignment of a 40-year-old man accused of attempting to sexually assault three minors in Kontagora.
The suspect, Jafar Muhammed, also known as Danlami, was apprehended on February 11 in an uncompleted building in Sabon Gari area after allegedly luring the children with sweets.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajia Aisha Kuta, said the suspect had previously been arrested in June last year over a similar offense involving a three-year-old girl but was later released.
Speaking with journalists on Wednesday, when she hosted the Civil Society Organisation under the auspices of Global Promoters for Community Initiatives-the implementer of the SCAPAGBV 3.0 supported by Nigeria Women Trust Fund led by the Project Director, Olasukanmi Kalejaiye, expressed shock that he was back on the streets and allegedly attempting the same crime again.
According to her, one of the girls, aged between five and seven, managed to escape and alert her grandmother, leading to the suspect’s arrest through the help of community members who intervened before the act was completed.
The Commissioner vowed that her ministry would closely monitor the case until its conclusion, insisting that anyone found aiding or facilitating bail for habitual offenders should also be scrutinised.
” This offense is not bailable. He was arrested before, charged to court, and somehow released. Now he is back again. We must ask what happened,” the commissioner said.
She also stressed that the state government would push for firm judicial action to prevent a repeat.
Kuta revealed that her ministry had to intervene financially to support the victims’ families with medical tests and logistics to ensure they did not abandon the case due to hardship.
She warned that many sexual offence cases collapse because families lack the resources and support needed to pursue justice.
Also, the Project Director, SCAPAGBV 3.0, Mr. Kalejaiye explained that they will ensure the suspect faces the wrath of the law and is sentenced appropriately for his crime.
Confirming the development, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said the suspect had indeed been arrested last year for a similar offence, investigated, and charged to court.
However, he disclosed that the police were unaware of the circumstances that led to his discharge.
“At our level, we carried out an investigation and charged him to court. The judiciary is a separate institution; we do not interfere with their decisions. He has now been charged again and prosecution is ongoing,” Abiodun stated.
The police spokesman further emphasised that offences involving defilement and attempted defilement are serious crimes under existing laws, including the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law and the Child Rights Law, which prescribe stiff penalties.
Niger govt, Police, CSOs demand action after repeat child sex offender is re-arraigned
