Amnesty International Nigeria has condemned the Plateau State Government’s decision to discontinue the prosecution of a man accused of sexually abusing a four-year-old girl, demanding the immediate reinstatement of the case despite reports that a court had issued a bench warrant for the defendant’s arrest over his repeated failure to appear for trial.
The human rights organisation described the decision as a setback for the child’s access to justice, warning that abandoning the prosecution could undermine public confidence in the judicial system and weaken efforts to protect children from sexual violence.
In a statement dated October 7, 2026, Amnesty International called on Plateau State Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang to intervene and direct the immediate reinstatement of the case, describing the discontinuation of the prosecution as a miscarriage of justice.
The organisation expressed concern that the Plateau State Ministry of Justice discontinued the proceedings in May 2026, despite the reported existence of a subsisting bench warrant against the accused, who allegedly failed to attend court repeatedly.
“The courts must be allowed to determine innocence or guilt of the defendant through a due process of law,” Amnesty International said.
It urged the state government to reverse the decision, reinstate the charges and ensure that the police execute the arrest warrant so that the trial could proceed.
According to the organisation, allowing the case to continue would give the survivor an opportunity to seek justice while also allowing the defendant to clear his name if found innocent.
“The four-year-old girl survivor deserves justice and allowing the matter to proceed in court would also give the defendant an opportunity to clear his name if found innocent,” the organisation stated.
Amnesty International Nigeria’s Country Director, Isa Sanusi, also called on Governor Mutfwang to intervene during a press conference in Jos, questioning the public interest served by discontinuing a sexual abuse case involving a young child while the accused had reportedly failed to appear in court.
Sanusi challenged the rationale behind terminating the prosecution while the court’s arrest warrant remained unexecuted.
“How is dropping a mid-trial sexual abuse case involving a four-year-old in the public interest? How does protecting a fugitive defendant serve the interest of justice?” he asked.
He maintained that allegations of sexual abuse involving a child should be addressed through due judicial process, stressing that the decision to discontinue the case required urgent reconsideration.
Sanusi further warned that abandoning the prosecution could send a troubling message about the state’s commitment to protecting children and holding alleged perpetrators of sexual violence accountable.
He also raised concerns about the implications of the decision for the implementation of the Plateau State Child Rights Law, 2005, and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law, 2022.
The Amnesty director urged Mutfwang, a lawyer, to ensure that the prosecution was restored and called on the state Attorney-General to publicly explain the reasons for withdrawing the case.
“We are calling on the Plateau State Government to retrace its steps. This is not a political matter. It has nothing to do with sentiment. This is a human rights issue,” Sanusi said.
Barbara Magaji, Amnesty International Nigeria’s Programme Manager, disclosed that the organisation had engaged the state government over the matter before deciding to raise its concerns publicly.
She said Amnesty International had written to the state Attorney-General seeking clarification on the decision to discontinue the prosecution and had also petitioned Governor Mutfwang.
However, Magaji said the organisation had yet to receive a response from the governor.
Although she acknowledged that the Attorney-General had constitutional powers to discontinue criminal proceedings, she stressed that such powers should be exercised in accordance with the broader interests of justice and the need to protect survivors of sexual violence.
“Our concern is the survivor. The girl child is at risk if this continues,” she said.
Magaji explained that the child was in a serious condition when Amnesty International became involved in the matter.
According to her, the organisation subsequently authorised its lawyers to prosecute the case after they met with the survivor and her family.
She said the matter first came before the court on February 12, but the accused failed to appear.
The court subsequently issued a bench warrant for his arrest, Magaji said, adding that the warrant had reportedly not been executed before the prosecution was discontinued.
The case had been before the Plateau State High Court in Jos until May 2026, when the state Ministry of Justice terminated the proceedings under the constitutional powers of the Attorney-General.
The circumstances surrounding the withdrawal have raised questions about why the prosecution was discontinued while the accused had reportedly failed to attend proceedings and the arrest warrant remained unexecuted.
Stella Samuel, a lawyer involved in the prosecution, said the accused had been served with court processes but repeatedly failed to attend court.
She disclosed that the prosecution had already prepared witnesses and evidence for the trial before the proceedings were discontinued.
Samuel insisted that the allegations could still be examined through the judicial process, arguing that the case remained prosecutable under the law.
“This case is still prosecutable. The law allows the Attorney-General to reinstate it,” she said.
She called on the Plateau State Government to restore the prosecution to enable the court to examine the allegations against the accused and determine the matter in accordance with the law.
The controversy has also drawn reactions from residents and campaigners who believe that allowing the case to proceed is essential to establishing accountability and preserving public confidence in the justice system.
Jacob Pwakim, secretary of the Let The Case Proceed Campaign, said the government’s decision had disappointed residents who had followed the case.
He explained that concerned citizens established the campaign to demand the reinstatement of the prosecution and ensure that the allegations against the accused were determined by a competent court.
Pwakim said the matter extended beyond the individual survivor, arguing that it raised broader questions about the protection of children and the administration of justice in Plateau State.
“If a four-year-old cannot get justice, which child can?” he asked.
Amnesty International Nigeria and the campaign have called on the Plateau State Government to reconsider its decision, reinstate the prosecution and ensure that the allegations are determined through a full judicial process.
The organisation maintained that the defendant should have the opportunity to answer the allegations in court, while the survivor should not be denied access to justice because the prosecution was discontinued.
The demand comes amid growing concerns over the protection of children from sexual violence and the responsibility of public institutions to ensure that allegations of such offences are addressed through a transparent and lawful judicial process.