A Kebbi State High Court, presided over by Justice Shamsudeen Jafar, on Tuesday, sentenced Amiru Sani, Aliyu Umar, and Bashar Dan-Inno to life imprisonment for raping an 18-year-old married deaf woman.
The Prosecution Counsel, Barrister Faridah Muhammad, in her submission, said the convicts, who were facing two counts of criminal conspiracy and rape, perpetrated the act at Wararin Zaromawa Village in Gwandu Local Government Area of the state.
“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 counsel prayed the court to convict the defendants as charged because the law imposed mandatory sentence on rapists.
The offences of criminal conspiracy and rape is punishable under sections 259 and section 60 of the Kebbi State Penal Code Law, 2021.
The prosecution called three witnesses and tendered six exhibits of both English and Hausa statements of the three prosecution witnesses in support of her case.
In his defence, the Defence Counsel, Barrister Ahmed Abubakar-Fingila, 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 to all the defendants during the plea of allucotus.
In his judgment, Hon. Justice Shamsudeen Jafar pronounced that the court found the defendants guilty of the charges.
He said 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.”