Sodomy: Shame As Dr Danraka, National Hospital’s Fmr. Chief Pharmacist, Goes To Life Jail

By Gideon Njoku

It was a combination of disbelief and shame on September 18, 2023, when Dr Abubakar Mustapha Danraka was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court for sodomy.

Dr Danraka was the Chief Pharmacist of the National Hospital Abuja.

The ruling by the Honourable Justice Asmau Akanbi-Yusuf, has been hailed as historic and, is expected to act as a deterrent to others with Danraka’s kind of dirty behaviour.

It came under the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015.

Hon. Justice Akanbi-Yusuf’s ruling is a significant development in the implementation of the VAPP Act of 2015.

The case against Dr  Danraka lasted the whole of three years in Court.

Otherwise high profile and well-read, Dr. Danraka, in addition to being a Chief Pharmacist, was a Senior Special Adviser (Technical) to the Director of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development.

But he was arrested on March 27th, 2020, for  sodomy  of a minor who lives in the same estate as him. The minor’s identity is not made public in a bid to protect him, and reduce his trauma.

Dr Danraka reportedly lured the minor to his apartment, drugged him,  and se£ually assaulted him.

The Pharmacist had pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on April 5, 2022, but the  evidence presented by the prosecution team from the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) was  unassailable. It led to his conviction and sentencing  Dr. Danraka had pleaded “not guilty” during his arraignment on April 5, 2022. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on September 18, 2023.

The Director General of NAPTIP, Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, was full of commendation for the judiciary for its “unwavering commitment to justice under the VAPP Act. She praised the collaboration and support of all stakeholders in the implementation of the law and expressed the agency’s determination to continue its efforts in achieving more convictions and reducing impunity.”

It is not known yet if Dr Danraka will appeal this historic judgment against him.