By HENRY NNAM

Amnesty International, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has called on the Plateau Government to revisit the alleged rape case involving a four-year-old girl in the state.

Mr Isa Sanusi, the Country Director of the organisation made the call during a news conference on Wednesday in Jos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the toddler was allegedly raped by her father.

The matter, reported to the Police, was later filed by the International Federation of Female Lawyers (FIDA) before a High Court sitting in Jos.

However, the Plateau Ministry for Justice withdrew the case in spite of the bench warrant issued by the court following the fragrant disregard for the judiciary by the defendant.

Sanusi, who faulted the withdrawal of the criminal case by the ministry, described the move as a miscarriage of justice and against public interest.

He insisted that the withdrawal had placed the state on bad precedence, adding that the move would increase cases of sexual abuse on minors in the state.

“The four-year-old survivor of sexual violence has been abandoned by the institution constitutionally mandated to protect her and prosecute her abuser.

“The defendant consistently showed flagrant disregard for the judiciary by refusing to appear in court and the court issued a standing bench warrant for the defendant’s immediate arrest.

“However, in May 2026, while the bench warrant subsisted, prosecutors from the office of the Attorney General invoked section 211 of the 1999 constitution as amended, to discontinue the criminal trial.

“The constitution explicitly states that the attorney general’s powers to discontinue criminal proceedings must be strictly in public interest, interest of justice and the need to prevent abuse of legal process.

“This is why Amnesty International, alongside human rights advocates absolutely reject this profound miscarriage of justice and calls for the continuation of the case,” he said.

Sanusi explained that the withdrawal of the case violates the Child Rights Law, 2005 and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law, 2022 of the state.

He particularly said that the withdrawal was an abuse of the legal process, sets negative precedence and creates distrust in the state’s judicial system.

“It signals to predators that they can evade the law, wait out the system and receive a quiet exit from criminal accountability.

“So, we call on Gov. Caleb Mutfwang, a lawyer, to exercise his executive oversight and compel the attorney general to immediately reverse this withdrawal, re-institute the charges and restore the case to the high court.

“We also demand a transparent, immediate public explanation detailing the legal, logical and moral justification for abandoning a vulnerable child.

“We call on the Police to execute the court-ordered bench warrant to apprehend the defendant so that trial can resume without delay,” Sanusi called. (NAN)

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