By Stanley Ekpenyong (South South Bureau Chief)
A 25-year-old man, Mr Aniedi Mfon is to spend the rest of his life behind bars for defiling an eight year old girl (name withheld) in Calabar, the Cross River state capital.
He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the crime by the Cross River State High Court sitting in Calabar on Tuesday.
Delivering the judgment, the trial Judge, Hon. Justice Blessing Egwu lamented the high prevalence of the crime of rape in the state and awarded a fine of one million naira (N1,000,000) to the survivor.
Mfon’s conviction was secured by the Cross River State Commissioner of Police, CP Gyogon Grimah; the State’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Hon. Ededem Ani; Principal Counsel of Basic Rights Counsel Initiative (BRCI), Barr. James Ibor; and the prosecutor Patient Emmanuel Akpama.
 in Calabar, the Cross River state capital.){kind=link}