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A Kebbi State High Court has sentenced Ibrahim Isah of Zuru Local Government Area to five years’ imprisonment for attempting to rape a 10-year-old girl.
Delivering judgment, Justice Maryam Abubakar Kaoje held that the accused was guilty of attempting to commit rape, an offence punishable under Section 58 of the Kebbi State Penal Code Law, 2021. Isah had originally been charged with two counts of rape and gross indecency under Sections 259 and 261 of the Penal Code.
The court, however, found that the evidence did not establish the full offence of rape.
Court records show that the prosecution, led by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Lawal Hudu Garba, SAN, called five witnesses and tendered three exhibits, including the defendant’s confessional statements in English and Hausa, and a medical report of the victim. The defence, led by Barrister S.M. DanYaro, called one witness alongside the defendant.
In her ruling, Justice Kaoje stated that the confessional statements provided sufficient evidence to prove an attempt to commit rape, which is a lesser offence than the original charge.
Consequently, the court convicted Isah under Section 58 of the Penal Code, sentencing him to five years’ imprisonment and imposing a fine of N50,000, with an additional one-year jail term in default of payment.
