The Abia State Government has launched a Sexual Offenders Register to publicly identify persons convicted of sexual offences as part of efforts to curb sexual and gender-based violence across the state.
The government also announced the conviction and sentencing of two sexual offenders by the Abia State Family Court in Umuahia for separate cases involving the defilement of minors.
Speaking at the state’s weekly media briefing in Umuahia, the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, said the convictions reflect the government’s commitment to protecting children and ensuring justice for victims of sexual abuse.
According to him, one of the offenders was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment without the option of a fine for raping a teenager, while another received a 10-year jail term without the option of a fine for defiling a five-year-old child.
Kanu added that survivors of sexual assault, gender-based violence, and domestic violence continue to receive medical and psychosocial support at the state’s Sexual Assault Referral and Treatment Centre in Aba.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Mrs. Ngozi Felix, disclosed that one of the convicts, a 35-year-old man, fled to Nasarawa State after committing the offence but was tracked down by the police and returned to Abia for prosecution.
She said the suspect was arraigned before the Family Court on July 9, 2026, pleaded guilty to the charges, and was convicted and sentenced the same day.
Felix explained that the newly established Sexual Offenders Register, domiciled at the Ministry of Justice, is designed to publicly identify convicted offenders and serve as a deterrent against future sexual crimes.
She warned that anyone convicted of a sexual offence in the state would have their details entered into the register.
“When suspects are arrested, prosecuted and convicted, their names will be entered into the Sexual Offenders Register. This is intended to serve as a deterrent to anyone who may contemplate committing such offences in the future,” she said.
