Abubakar Danraka
The chapter’s chairman asserted that Danraka was not guilty of the alleged crime, suggesting that it was merely a situation in which the victim’s father, coincidentally a pharmacy technician at the National Hospital, had made a threat against him.
The FCT chapter of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has expressed their solidarity with pharmacist Abubakar Danraka, who received a life imprisonment sentence for a sodomy conviction. They have pledged to appeal the verdict, contending that it is inconceivable that Danraka could have engaged in such a heinous act.
In a ruling dated Monday, September 18, 2023, the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Kubwa, Abuja, overseen by Hon. Justice Asmau Akanbi-Yusuf, found Danraka guilty of rape (sodomy) in accordance with Section 1 of the VAPP Act of 2015 and subsequently sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Mr. Ifeanyi Ikebudu, the chapter’s chairman, conveyed in a statement issued on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, that Danraka was innocent of the alleged crime. He maintained that the situation was merely a result of a threat made by the victim’s father, who coincidentally worked as a pharmacy technician at the National Hospital.
“We are aware of the rancour between him and the father of the purported victim, a pharmacy technician at the National Hospital, Abuja, where Danraka is still on the nominal roll as an assistant director,” the statement reads in part.
“He is currently on secondment with the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Idu, Abuja
“The pharmacy technician had threatened to destroy Danraka, and this conviction could have been the outcome of the well-executed threat
“It has become very important for us to state our position with respect to the life imprisonment handed over to our colleague, friend and brother, Dr Abubakar Danraka, recently by the FCT court in Abuja.
“Danraka is one of our finest, a pharmacist of no mean repute, an astute professional who has carved a niche for himself and the pharmacy profession everywhere he worked as testified by his subordinates, peers and superiors.
“He was undeservedly jailed for an alleged act of sod*my which every one of us doubted that he could be involved in an abominable act of that nature
“We had no doubt in our mind as evidenced by our interaction with Dr Abubakar Danraka that this was a case of a threat carried too far and that he will prove his innocence and be vindicated.
“It is unbelievable and untenable that he could be convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment as pronounced by the FCT High Court for a crime he has consistently and vehemently denied committing.”