A State High Court in Dutse, Jigawa State on Monday sentenced a 27-year old man, Suleiman Ahmed, to life imprisonment, after convicting him of rape.
The court also sentenced another person it found guilty of the same crime to 21 years in jail and acquitted another suspect.
The spokesperson of the state Ministry of Justice, Zainab Baba-Santali, disclosed these in a statement on Tuesday.
She said Mr Ahmed, of Lutai village in Birnin Kudu Local Government Area of the state, committed the crime on March 15 last year in Babaldu town.
The statement said the convict had lured an 11-year old girl into an uncompleted building where he raped her.
Ms Baba-Santali said the prosecution, led by the state Attorney-General, Musa Aliyu, presented four witnesses after the defendant denied the charges.
The witnesses included two of the girl’s friends who testified that they saw the convict taking her into the uncompleted building. They said they had followed them, only to see him sexually abusing the girl.
The trial judge, Musa Ubale, said the prosecution proved their case beyond reasonable doubt against the defendant, and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Other judgements
In a similar case, the judge, Mr Ubale, also jailed one Adamu Ali 21 years for raping a nine-year-old girl.
The convict, a resident of Birnin Kudu town, was accused of luring the girl with N500.
According to the prosecution, the girl’s parents and the management of her school noticed her discomfort and after a medical examination, reported the case of rape to the police.
The prosecution tendered four witnesses. The court convicted Mr Ali and pronounced the sentence of 21 years imprisonment on him.
One suspect cleared of rape
Mrs Baba-Santali also said one Mohammed Musa from Asayaya village of the same Birnin Kudu LGA was alleged to have raped a 15-year-old girl.
She said the judge, however, said the prosecution did not discharge the burden of proof beyond reasonable doubt, and discharged and acquitted the defendant.
She said the judgment was delivered on January 20.
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