Man Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Raping Six-year-old Girl in Niger

Laleye Dipo in Minna

A 55-year-old Niger State man, Yau Ibrahim, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a 6-year-old girl in the Angwa- Daji area of Minna, the state capital.

Apart from raping the minor on August 23, 2023, the convict also infected the victim with “incurable venereal disease.”

A Senior Magistrate, Hafsat Abdullahi Bawa Wuse, who handed down the judgment last Tuesday, rejected the plea for leniency by the convict, “because of the magnitude of the offence, as he deserves no leniency from the court.”

 She also attributed the judgment to “the victim’s health status as confessed by the convict contained in the medical report, and the stigma the victim will carry for life as a result of the action.

“The court hereby sentence you Yau Ibrahim to imprisonment for life for the offence of unlawful sexual intercourse with a child punishable under Section 26 (2) of the Child Right Law 2021 as amended.”

The police had arraigned the convict for having sexual intercourse with a 6-year-old girl and infecting her with sexually transmitted disease “which has permanently caused the little girl Ill- health.”

The prosecution tendered two exhibits- the confessional statement of the convict and the medical report from Rayuwal Sexual Reference Centre Police Clinic in Minna-before the court.