By Umar Faruk, Birnin Kebbi
The Kebbi State High Court for Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Special Court, sitting in Birnin Kebbi, has convicted two accused persons, Murtala Abdullahi and Abdullahi Abdullahi, on a four-count charge bordering on rape and intimidation. The charges include criminal conspiracy to commit rape, rape, criminal conspiracy to commit criminal intimidation, and criminal intimidation, punishable under sections 60(b), 259, 60(b), and 378(b) of the Kebbi State Penal Code Law 2021.
In a judgment delivered by Honourable Justice Sham sudden Jafar, the court held that the prosecution had established all the ingredients of the offences, and the defendants were found guilty. The court evaluated the evidence before it and found that the defendants corroborated the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses by narrating how they raped a 14-year-old victim one after the other.
According to the judgment, the first accused person went for the second time after intimidating the victim with a cutlass, which led to bruises on her body. This was corroborated by a medical report that stated the victim had bruises and a severed hymen with blood stains.
The defendants testified for themselves and did not call further witnesses. However, in an attempt to retract their confession, they admitted being friends and placing themselves at the scene of the crime, and also that they were arrested together.
The prosecution team, led by Barrister Zainab M. Jabbo, DDPP, from the Kebbi State Ministry of Justice, presented the case before the court. Meanwhile, the defendants were represented by Barrister Alhassan, who started the defense, Barrister Rilwan M. Mayalo, who concluded it, and Barrister Faruk Dauran, Legal Aid Coordinator, who represented them during the judgment.
The defense counsel challenged the weight attached to the confessional statements of the defendants tendered by the prosecution before the court in proving the alleged offences. However, after both parties adopted their final written addresses, the court delivered its judgment.
The court sentenced the defendants to imprisonment for life for the offence of criminal conspiracy to commit rape and rape. For the offence of criminal conspiracy to commit intimidation and intimidation, the defendants were sentenced to pay a fine of Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N250,000) or One year imprisonment.
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Rape case