A Kebbi State High Court presided over by Justice Shamsudeen Jafar, sentenced Amiru Sani, Aliyu Umar, and Bashar Dan-Inno to life imprisonment for raping an 18-year-old married deaf woman.
The prosecution’s counsel, Barrister Faridah Muhammad stated in her submission that the defendants, who were charged with two counts of criminal conspiracy and rape, had committed the crimes at Wararin Zaromawa Village in the state’s Gwandu Local Government Area.
“The convicts had broken into the victim’s household, while she was sleeping, they forcefully had carnal knowledge of her.
“They had choked her with thick piece of clothes as well as tied her two hands with rope before having carnal knowledge of her one after the other,” she said.
The counsels hoped that the defendants would be found guilty as charged because rapists are required by law to serve obligatory sentences.
The Kebbi State Penal Code Law, 2021, punishes criminal conspiracy and rape acts under sections 259 and section 60.
The prosecution called three witnesses and presented six exhibits containing the witness statements from the three witnesses in both Hausa and English.
In his defence, the Defence Counsel, Barrister Ahmed Abubakar-Fingila, asked the three convicts to give evidence and testify to their defence without tendering any document or exhibit.
During the plea of allucotus, the defence attorney asked the court to temper justice with mercy to all the defendants.
In his judgment, Hon. Justice Shamsudeen Jafar pronounced that the court found the defendants guilty of the charges.
He added that the prosecution counsel had established all the ingredients of carnal knowledge of the victim (name withheld) through collaborated statement of the victim and that of 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 and also married woman, at her husband’s residence.
“All ingredients needed to established criminal conspiracy to commit rape was established beyond reasonable doubt by prosecution.
“The court has no option than to act upon the evidence before it.
“Similarly, the court holds the view that it has found the first, second, and third defendants guilty as charged. You are hereby convicted 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.
Hon. Justice Shamsudeen Jafar, while describing the offences as “heinous and “reprehensible,” noted that the defendants had taken advantage of the victim’s vulnerability.
“This punishment will serve as a deterrent to others who may contemplate committing similar crimes.”
