-Affirms Jury Verdict in Nimba
By Shallon S. Gonlor | shallonsgonlor@gmail.com
NIMBA COUNTY, Liberia — Resident Circuit Judge Musa S. Sidibey of the Sexual Offenses Division Court at the 8th Judicial Circuit in Sanniquellie, Nimba County, has handed down a 30-year prison sentence to 19-year-old Success Okafor for statutory rape against a 12-year-old girl.
The sentence follows a trial jury’s majority guilty verdict of nine to three, which was affirmed by Judge Sidibey on Wednesday, December 3, 2025.
The judgment highlights the court’s commitment to protecting vulnerable populations and holding perpetrators of sexual violence accountable.
The prosecution’s evidence presented during the trial established the facts of the case, leading to the conviction. The 30-year sentence reflects the severity of the crime and serves as a deterrent to potential offenders.
On September 8, 2025, the prosecution filed a nine-count indictment with the court, based on a true bill returned by the Nimba County grand jury. The indictment alleges that in April 2025, during night hours in Yekepa Camp-4, the defendant, with criminal intent, violently gripped 12-year-old survivor “C.P.,” forcibly removed her clothes, and sexually abused her by penetrating her vagina with his penis.
The indictment further states that preliminary police investigation revealed the defendant deceived the survivor, asking for water, took advantage of her kindness, held her mouth, and sexually abused her twice.
The prosecution’s indictment noted that the defendant categorically denied the allegations. The survivor was examined and treated at G.W. Harley Hospital in Sanniquellie City.
On November 13, 2025, the court arraigned the defendant, who pleaded not guilty. The trial commenced immediately after a petit jury was selected and empanelled.
During the trial, the alleged victim testified, confirming to the prosecution’s indictment that on the first day, Success knocked on the window, asking her to open it so he could enter, which she did. She stated that after he entered, she returned to her mother’s room and locked the door. He then requested water to drink, and when she opened the door, he gripped her, covered her mouth, and had sex with her.
She noted that these incidents occurred while her single mother, Veronica Sayeh, was away working at the Security Expert Guard Agency of Liberia (SEGAL) in Yekepa, Nimba County.
However, Success Okafor took the stand, contesting the prosecution’s evidence in open court that he does not know the residence of the alleged victim and her mother. But, he had previously transported them in Yekepa on his motorbike.
“I want to say that I am not guilty; I am innocent,” Okafor stated. He recounted his arrest on March 31st, a Monday evening, when police took him to the station on his bike. At the station, he met the victim, Aunty Veronica, and Mary, who accused him of raping C.P.”
During oral arguments, the defense maintained that the defendant has consistently asserted his innocence from arrest through trial, without contradiction.
The prosecution countered that evidence links the defendant to the crime, arguing he lied repeatedly in his testimony—specifically, that his denials were contradicted by his own counsel’s admissions before the jury.
At the close of the argument, the court charged the jury, which deliberated and returned a majority verdict (9-3) of guilty. Each juror was polled, confirming their verdict.
The court then ordered the Division of Probation of the Ministry of Justice to conduct a presentence investigation on December 2, 2025, informing the court to announce the final judgment.
Court’s Final Ruling:
In his final ruling, Resident Circuit Judge Musa S. Sidibey identified two key issues in the case: whether the defendant satisfactorily proved his alibi of being in police custody during the crime, and whether the prosecution’s evidence met the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
Judge Sidibey noted that the prosecution’s evidence indicated that on April 4, 2025, the defendant asked the victim to open her door, where he allegedly raped her. The next night, April 5, he returned, claiming he needed to park his motorbike, and raped her again.
Judge Sidibey noted the defendant testified he was arrested by police on March 31, 2025, and investigated on April 7, 2025, establishing an alibi. The judge said this alibi made it practically impossible for the defendant to have committed the rapes on April 4 and 5, as he was in police custody from March 31 to April 7, 2025.
Judge Sidibey noted that the defendant subpoenaed witness Marcus Karnue testified that he received a call from the defendant on April 1, saying he had been arrested and needed help. Marcus said he couldn’t reach the defendant that night due to the late hour and visited him the next day.
Judge Sidibey stressed that assessing evidence credibility is the jury’s role, who may believe some witnesses and disbelieve others, citing Fartoma v. R. L., Supreme Court Opinion, October Term, A.D. 2010.
The court’s ruling emphasized the best evidence rule, stating “…no evidence is sufficient which supposes the existence of a better evidence”, referencing Civil Procedure Law Revised Code 1:25.6(1) and Winifred Mason et al v. R. L. Supreme Court Opinion, October Term, A.D. 2021.
The court noted the defendant’s counsel conceded that the defendant made and signed police statements, implying the police charge sheet, showing April 7, 2025, as the arrest date could be considered better evidence of the arrest date.
“The Honorable Supreme Court has held that an alibi aims to establish that the accused, was at a remote place, making participation in the crime physically impossible. While alibi pleas deserve fair consideration, law writers observe they’re often easily fabricated,” the court’s final ruling noted.
Judge Sidibey said the jury disbelieved the defendant’s alibi, rejected it, and found him guilty, as he failed to satisfactorily establish his alibi plea.
At trial, the prosecution presented five regular witnesses, three rebuttal witnesses, a medical report, the victim’s bloodstained outfit, and the crime scene, all linking the defendant to the rape. The court said the defendant didn’t dispute the victim was raped, but claimed she was shielding a lover who might have been the rapist.
Judge Sidibey said the defendant attempted to shift blame via an alibi defense, claiming someone else raped the victim, but failed to establish it.
The defendant also suggested the victim might have had prior relations with a lover or consented to sex, given she opened the door the second night, the judge ruled.
The medical report showed a laceration and abrasion on the victim’s labia, mild bleeding, and vaginal penetration piercing her hymen.
The law in vogue is that a person is guilty of rape if he/she had sexual intercourse with another person who is less than 18 years old, provided the actor is 18 years or older (Penal Law Revised Code:26:14.70(b)). The law also presumes lack of consent; that is to say, a person under the age of 18 does not have the capacity to consent to sexual intercourse.
Judge Sidibey emphasized that the victim’s actions, even if she had opened the door to the defendant multiple times, did not constitute consent for sexual intercourse. Therefore, engaging in intercourse with the victim under the given circumstances violates the cited penal code, amounting to rape. The defense’s theory of apparent acquiescence is thus unconvincing.
“This court says that the victim, being a 12-year-old, evoked the principle enunciated in the Supreme Court’s Opinion that the testimony or statements of an alleged child victim should be considered trust worthy and reliable Kollie Buway v. R. L, Supreme Court Opinion, March Term, A.D. 2023; decided on May 19, 2023.”
Judge Sidibey added that it is trite law that when securing a conviction in rape cases, unlike other horrendous crimes, the testimony by a ‘ravished’ woman in the instant case, a girl in a rape trial, corroborated by evidence of violence as the surrounding circumstances may permit of the case, the public accusation by the victim of her assailant, may suffice.
“This court says that the victim, being a 12-year-old, evoked the principle enunciated in the Supreme Court’s Opinion that the testimony or statements of an alleged child victim should be considered trust worthy and reliable Kollie Buway v. R. L, Supreme Court Opinion, March Term, A.D. 2023; decided on May 19, 2023,” the ruling added.
The court noted that the jurors, having weighed all the evidence, delivered a majority verdict with moral certainty that the defendant is guilty. The prosecution’s evidence met the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, establishing the defendant’s guilt.
The court highlighted that the evidence showed violence and threats; the defendant gripped the victim, covered her mouth, and raped her. The victim’s fear prevented her from informing her mother initially, corroborated by police testimony that the defendant had threatened her, explaining the delayed report.
In closing the landmark rape case, the judge holds the defendant’s entire testimony is unworthy of belief, considering his inconsistent positions and statements he made to the police, the jury, and to the probation officers regarding the time/date of his arrest, his age, and residence.
The legal maxim that “false in one thing, false in everything”, suggests that if a witness is found to have lied about one matter, his entire testimony may be considered unreliable. Fartoma, supra., Judge Sidibey said.
The Resident Circuit Judge of the Sexual Offenses Division Court at the 8th Judicial Circuit affirmed the jury’s majority guilty verdict, adjudged Defendant Success Okafor guilty of the commission of the crime of rape under section 14.70(1)(b), statutory rape, and sentenced him to thirty (30) years’ imprisonment at the Sanniquellie Central Prison.
In closing the landmark rape case, Judge Sidibey deemed the defendant’s testimony unreliable due to inconsistent statements about his arrest time, age, and residence.
Citing the legal maxim “false in one thing, false in everything,” he noted that a witness’s dishonesty on one matter can undermine their entire testimony (Fartoma, supra.).
Affirming the jury’s guilty verdict, Judge Sidibey, Resident Circuit Judge of the Sexual Offenses Division, sentenced Defendant Success Okafor to 30 years’ imprisonment at Sanniquellie Central Prison for statutory rape under section 14.70(1)(b).
In response to the court’s ruling, the defendant’s legal team from the Public Defense Office of Nimba County announced their intention to appeal the verdict, seeking recourse before the Supreme Court of Liberia during its March Term, A.D. 2026.
The appeal, grounded in their pursuit of justice, was duly granted by the court as a matter of law, allowing the case to proceed to the higher jurisdiction for review. With this development, the legal battle over Defendant Success Okafor’s conviction for statutory rape is set to continue, pending the Supreme Court’s consideration.
The court’s sentencing decision has been welcomed by the community, who see it as a significant step towards justice for the victim and her family. The case demonstrates Liberia’s judicial system’s resolve to tackle sexual violence and protect children’s rights.
