Court sentences man to 5 years imprisonment for attempted r@pe of 10-year-old girl in Kebbi

A Kebbi State High Court has sentenced one Ibrahim Isah of Zuru Local Government Area to five years’ imprisonment for attempting to r@pe a 10-year-old girl.

Delivering judgment, Justice Maryam Abubakar Kaoje held that the accused was guilty of attempting to commit r@pe, an offence punishable under Section 58 of the Kebbi State Penal Code Law, 2021.

Isah was initially charged with two counts of r@pe and gross indecency under Sections 259 and 261 of the Penal Code.

However, the court found that the evidence did not establish the full offence of rape.

According to court records, 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, as well as a medical report of the victim.

The defence, led by Barrister S.M. DanYaro, called one witness in addition to the defendant.

In her ruling, Justice Kaoje stated that the facts disclosed in the confessional statement proved an attempt to commit r@pe, a lesser offence than the original charge.

She consequently convicted the defendant under Section 58 of the Penal Code.
The court sentenced Isah to five years’ imprisonment and imposed a fine of N50,000, with an additional one-year jail term in default of payment.