The Kebbi High Court 7, sitting in Birnin Kebbi, presided over by Justice Shamsudeen Jafar, has sentenced three people to life imprisonment for raping an a 18-year-old married woman (deaf).

The convicts are Amiru Sani, Aliyu Umar, and Bashar Dan-Inno from Wararin Zaromawa village.

The prosecution counsel, Faridah Muhammad, in her submission, said the convicts, who were facing two-count charges of criminal conspiracy and rape, perpetrated the act at Wararin Zaromawa village in Gwandu LGA.

“The defendants had broken into the victim’s house, while she was asleep and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her. They had choked her with a thick piece of cloth and tied her two hands with a rope before having carnal knowledge of her one-by-one,” she said.

The counsel prayed the court to convict the defendants as charged because the law imposed a mandatory sentence. She said criminal conspiracy and rape were offenses punishable under sections 259 and 60 of the Kebbi State Penal Code Law, 2021.

The prosecution had earlier called three witnesses, and tendered six exhibits of English and Hausa statements of the three prosecution witnesses in support of her case.

The defense counsel, Ahmed Abubakar-Filgila, called the three convicts to give evidence and testify to their defence without tendering any document or exhibit.

The defence counsel prayed the court to temper justice with mercy.

In his judgment, Justice Jafar, said the prosecution had established all the ingredients of carnal knowledge of the victim (name withheld).

He said she had done that through a collaborated statement of the victim and that of the first defendant and found all their evidence not controverted by the defence.

“I am of the firm view that all the defendants conspired in perpetrating the act. Meanwhile, the convicts conspired and raped the victim, who is an 18-year-old deaf, who is also a married woman, at her husband’s residence.

“All ingredients needed to establish a criminal conspiracy to commit rape were established beyond reasonable doubt by the prosecution. The court has no option than to act upon the evidence before it,” he said.

The judge said similarly that the court holds the view that it has found the first, second and third defendants guilty as charged.

“Having found you guilty of the charge, you Amiru Sani, Aliyu Umar and Bashar Dan-Inno, are hereby sentenced to life imprisonment for finding all of you guilty under section 259 and section 60 of Kebbi State Penal Code Law, 2021,” he declared. 

(NAN)