The Jigawa State High Court sitting in Ringim has sentenced a 50-year-old man, Abubakar Biniya, to 10 years in prison for raping an 11-year-old girl….
The Jigawa State High Court sitting in Ringim has sentenced a 50-year-old man, Abubakar Biniya, to 10 years in prison for raping an 11-year-old girl.
Justice Muhammad El-Usman, who presided over High Court No. 11, also ordered Biniya to pay N500,000 compensation to the victim.
Biniya, a resident of Galadanchi Quarters in Ringim Local Government Area, was convicted of raping the girl in January 2024.
The prosecution, led by the Jigawa State Ministry of Justice, called six witnesses and tendered five exhibits, including a medical report, in evidence.
Although Biniya testified in his defence, he did not call any other witness.
Delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice El-Usman said the court considered the convict’s plea for leniency and his status as a first offender before imposing the sentence.
The judge also ordered that Biniya’s name be entered in the Jigawa State Sexual Offenders Register maintained by the Ministry of Justice.
The court further directed that the conviction be announced on radio and television stations in accordance with Section 3(2), (4) and (5) of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law, 2021.
The parties were given three months to appeal the judgment.
In separate judgments delivered the same day, the court discharged two other defendants, 55-year-old Sale Kurma and 22-year-old Mansur Ahmed, who were separately charged with rape.
The court also discharged Haruna Ahmadu, who faced charges of criminal conspiracy and robbery.
The three defendants were discharged after the prosecution failed to establish the respective charges against them.
The cases were prosecuted by officials of the Jigawa State Ministry of Justice, while the defendants were represented by counsel from Nexus Legal Hubs, Kano.
