Teacher Bags Life Imprisonment for Raping Male Student in Abuja

By Hajara Abdullahi

A 19-year-old teacher, Abdullahi Abbas, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a High Court in the Federal Capital Territory for raping a nine-year-old pupil.

This was revealed by the Public Relations Officer of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Vincent Adekoyo, in a statement to Punch Newspaper on Sunday.

According to the statement, Abbas, who worked at a school in Kwali, was sentenced without an option of fine by Justice M. Osho-Adebiyi of the High Court on October 29, 2025.

Mr. Adekoyo noted that the judgment reaffirms NAPTIP’s commitment under the leadership of its Director General, Binta Bello, to protecting children from abuse. He added that the ruling serves as a morale boost to both state and non-state actors in the implementation of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015.

“It would be recalled that as part of the renewed determination to tackle the emerging issues of domestic violence, sexual abuse, and rape in the country, the Director General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, had recently strengthened the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Department of the Agency through capacity building for its operatives, thereby leading to swift intervention and diligent prosecution of all cases,” he said.

Earlier reports revealed that the teacher had sent another pupil to call the victim from home on March 19, after which he took the boy down the street and raped him through the anus. The victim later told his mother, which led to Abbas’s arrest by the Police and subsequent referral to NAPTIP.

Abbas was arraigned on two counts of rape and sexual abuse, after which he was convicted and sentenced.

Speaking on the development, Dr. Binta Bello, Director General of NAPTIP, commended the judiciary for the judgment and acknowledged the support of partners in the prosecution and conviction of the offender. She added that the judgment would serve as a deterrent and that the convict’s name would be entered into the Sexual Offenders Register.

“This is a landmark judgment that carries the commensurate punishment for the offender. This will serve as a deterrent, and his name shall feature prominently in our Sex Offenders Register,” she said.

“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. I thank the judiciary for the judgment and the Nigeria Police for the inter-agency collaboration on this case,” she concluded.