Amnesty faults Plateau govt over withdrawal of four-year-old’s defilement case

Amnesty International Nigeria has criticised the Plateau State Government for discontinuing the prosecution of a man accused of defiling a four-year-old girl.

Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International Nigeria’s country director, raised the concerns at a press conference in Jos on Wednesday.

Mr Sanusi said the state government dropped the case despite a court-issued warrant for the accused’s arrest after he repeatedly failed to appear for trial.

The organisation said the decision raised serious concerns about access to justice for the child and the government’s commitment to protecting children from sexual violence.

The case was being prosecuted before the Plateau State High Court in Jos until May 2026, when the state Ministry of Justice discontinued the proceedings pursuant to the constitutional powers of the Attorney-General.

Mr Sanusi questioned the decision, particularly because the accused had allegedly failed to appear in court and a bench warrant had reportedly been issued for his arrest.

“How is dropping a mid-trial sexual abuse case involving a four-year-old in the public interest? How does protecting a fugitive defendant serve the interest of justice?” he asked.

The Amnesty director said the decision should be reviewed because sexual abuse of a child was a serious offence that required the justice system to protect the survivor and ensure accountability.

He also raised concerns about the decision’s implications for implementing the Plateau State Child Rights Law, 2005, and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law, 2022.

Mr Sanusi urged Governor Caleb Mutfwang, a lawyer, to intervene and ensure that the case was restored.

He also called on the state attorney-general to publicly explain why the prosecution was discontinued.

“We are calling on the Plateau State Government to retrace its steps. This is not a political matter. It has nothing to do with sentiment. This is a human rights issue,” he said.

How prosecution discontinued

Barbara Magaji, Amnesty International Nigeria’s programme manager, said the organisation had previously engaged the Plateau State Government over the matter before deciding to make its concerns public.

She said Amnesty wrote to the state attorney-general seeking clarification on the decision to discontinue the case and also petitioned Governor Mutfwang. Still, she had not yet received a response from the governor.

Ms Magaji acknowledged the attorney-general’s constitutional power to discontinue criminal proceedings. Still, she said the exercise of that power should align with the broader interests of justice and the protection of the survivor.

“Our concern is the survivor. The girl child is at risk if this continues,” she said.

She said the child was in a serious condition when Amnesty became involved in the matter, adding that the organisation’s lawyers were subsequently authorised to prosecute the case after meeting the survivor and her family.

According to her, the matter first came before the court on 12 February, but the accused failed to appear.

She said the court subsequently issued a bench warrant for his arrest, but the warrant had not been executed when the prosecution was discontinued.

Stella Samuel, counsel involved in the prosecution, said the accused had been served with court processes but repeatedly failed to attend proceedings.

She said the prosecution had witnesses and evidence prepared for the trial before the case was discontinued.

“This case is still prosecutable. The law allows the Attorney-General to reinstate it,” Ms Samuel said.

She urged the state government to restore the case so that the allegations could be determined through a full judicial process.

Civil society seeks restoration of case

Jacob Pwakim, secretary of the Let The Case Proceed Campaign, said the decision to discontinue the prosecution had disappointed residents who had followed the case.

He said concerned citizens formed the campaign to demand that the case proceed.

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Mr Pwakim said the matter went beyond the individual survivor because it concerned protecting children and public confidence in the justice system.

“If a four-year-old cannot get justice, which child can?” he asked.

Amnesty and the campaign urged the Plateau State Government to reconsider the decision and allow the court to determine the allegations against the accused.

Efforts to obtain the response of Philemon Daffi, Plateau State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, were unsuccessful.

His telephone was switched off when contacted for comment on Wednesday.