Supreme Court Upholds Life Sentence fFor Man Who Raped Seven-year-old Girl

The Supreme Court has unanimously dismissed the appeal of Isyaku Muazu of Rijiyar Lemo in the Fagge Local Government Area of Kano State, who was sentenced to life in prison by a high court in Jigawa State for raping a seven-year-old child.

The accused appealed the high court’s ruling to the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division, through his counsel, Garba Abubakar, but the appeal was dismissed, and the high court’s decision by Honourable Justice Amina Audi Wambai was upheld.

This was revealed in a press statement issued by Zainab Baba Santali, the Public Relations Officer for the Jigawa State Ministry of Justice.

According to the statement, the appellant, an iron-scavenger, was sued in the state high court for rape and gross indecency for allegedly bringing his victim to an unfinished structure in Kiri town on July 30, 2015, where he pinned her down and raped her.

The prosecutor called four witnesses and presented four evidence, Exhibits A, B, D1 & D2, to establish his case.

After the trial, the High Court determined that the prosecutor had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and the accused was sentenced to life in prison under Section 283 of the Jigawa State Penal Code Law.

He was also sentenced to four years in prison and a N10,000 fine after being found guilty of gross indecency.

According to the statement, the appellant appealed the Court of Appeal’s decision and filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, claiming that the court’s judgment is incorrect and legally flawed because the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt and the appellant’s right to a fair hearing was violated.

“The counsel to the respondent and the Attorney-General of Jigawa State, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, contended that the verdict of the court of appeal is in conformity with the law,” according to the statement.

Honourable Justice Helen Ogunwumiju JSC, a Supreme Court jurist, dismissed the appeal, agreeing with the Attorney-submission General’s that the trial court’s procedure for determining the charge against the appellant was valid and flawless, and that the appellant’s right to a fair hearing was not violated.

The appellant’s life sentence for raping a seven-year-old girl, as well as four years in jail and a fine of N10,000 for an act of gross indecency, was maintained by the apex court.