A court in Ganye, Adamawa State, has found Jediel Sylvester guilty of sexually abusing his own daughter and impregnating her. The Upper Area Court I handed down a combined sentence of 30 years in prison, with the judge ruling that the sentences will run consecutively.
Presiding judge Kabiru Musa broke down the conviction into three separate offences. Sylvester received 15 years imprisonment for incest, with the option to pay N500,000 instead, according to the judgment delivered on Thursday.
The court added 10 years for criminal intimidation, again offering a N250,000 fine as an alternative. A further five-year sentence came down for assault, with no option to pay a fine.
The judge stressed that Sylvester retains the right to challenge the decision in the Adamawa State High Court within 30 days of the ruling. This means the case is not final.
Musa expressed deep concern about what the victim revealed during proceedings. The girl testified that her father had repeatedly coerced her into sexual acts whenever he wished, using intimidation to keep her silent.
"Having carefully considered the complaint statement, the unequivocal guilty plea, the victim's testimony in corroboration, and the entire court record, I am satisfied the prosecution proved all charges beyond reasonable doubt," Musa said during sentencing.
The judge noted that a guilty plea, when freely given and supported by witness evidence, amounts to the strongest proof against an accused person. In this case, both Sylvester's confession in open court and the victim's credible account left no doubt about his criminal responsibility.
Musa called the abuse one of the gravest betrayals of both law and human decency. He described parenthood as a sacred duty that nature imposes, making Sylvester's actions especially heinous.
"I find the defendant Jediel Sylvester guilty and hereby convict him for incest, criminal intimidation, and assault contrary to sections 367, 382, and 242 of the Penal Code Law of Adamawa State, 2018," the judge declared.
Prosecutors had charged Sylvester with subjecting his biological daughter to repeated sexual abuse. The girl became pregnant as a direct result of his actions.
Mohammed Audi, the girl's uncle and first witness in the case, told the court what happened after discovering the pregnancy. He said Sylvester tried to convince his daughter to falsely blame someone else for the pregnancy, then sought to arrange an abortion without her consent.
The girl rejected both proposals, Audi testified. Instead, she came forward with the truth about her father's abuse.
When the charges were read to Sylvester in court, he admitted everything. He acknowledged that he had abandoned his fatherly duties and instead acted as a predator toward his own child.
