What began as a routine repair job inside a quiet Abuja estate eventually unfolded into one of the most disturbing child abuse cases heard in the Federal Capital Territory in recent years.
On Friday, Justice S.M. Mayana of the FCT High Court 46 in Apo sentenced two security guards – James Sule, 30, and Adamu Yau, 25 – to life imprisonment for the repeated sexual abuse of a girl who was only six years old when the assaults allegedly began.
The court ruled that the men would spend the rest of their lives in prison without the option of a fine.
The prosecution, led by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), told the court that the abuse started in 2016 at Penthouse Estate in Lugbe, Abuja, after Sule was invited by the victim’s grandmother to repair a faulty toilet in the family compound.
According to investigators, the young girl had been crying over a damaged cello tape when Sule allegedly seized the opportunity to lure her into the bathroom. Prosecutors said he locked the door, assaulted the child, and threatened her with a knife afterward to ensure she never spoke about what happened.
But the horror did not end there.
NAPTIP revealed that the abuse continued for nearly six years and later involved another security guard, Adamu Yau, alongside a third suspect identified as Muhammed, who remains on the run.
The suspects reportedly operated in silence, targeting the child repeatedly while terrifying her with threats of death against both her and her family if she exposed them.
For years, the child allegedly carried the trauma alone.
Court documents showed that her parents eventually became suspicious after noticing sudden behavioral changes. She reportedly became withdrawn, fearful, and unusually distressed whenever Sule came near her. She also refused to allow him escort her to school or accompany her anywhere alone.
Desperate for answers, the family took her to a prayer house, where she finally broke down and revealed the abuse to a pastor.
That confession triggered a chain of events that led to a formal report to the Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH), before the matter was transferred to NAPTIP for investigation.
During the trial, prosecutors presented five witnesses and seven exhibits, including medical reports confirming repeated sexual assault injuries.
The case, which began formally in 2023, drew emotional reactions in court as details of the prolonged abuse emerged during testimony.
Delivering judgment, Justice Mayana held that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.
NAPTIP Director-General, Hajia Binta Adamu-Bello, described the ruling as a “strong warning” to sexual offenders and predators hiding within homes and residential estates.
She urged parents and guardians to thoroughly screen domestic workers, guards, drivers, and other service providers before employing them, warning that many abuse cases occur within environments victims are expected to trust.
Following the judgment, both convicts were transferred to the Kuje Correctional Centre to begin serving their life sentences, while security agencies continue efforts to track down the third suspect still at large.
