A Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Simon Amobeda, sitting in Kano, on Wednesday sentenced a 31-year-old man, Lawan Salisu, to three years imprisonment for sexually abusing a 10-year-old boy.
Salisu, of Tishama Yan Awakai Farin Bene Transformer in Nassarawa Local Government, Kano State, was convicted on a one-count charge of procurement and sexual exploitation after pleading guilty to the charge.
In delivering the judgment, Justice Amobeda stated that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.
“The offence is punishable by not less than seven years imprisonment and a fine of N1 million,” Amobeda said.
The judge further stated, “I have tempered justice with mercy as this is the defendant’s first offence, according to the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.”
He then ruled, “I hereby sentence the convict to three years imprisonment without the option of a fine. This will serve as a deterrent to others as cases like this are becoming prevalent.”
The court also ordered the convict to apologize to the victim and his family.
Earlier, Mr. Hassan Nuruddeen, the prosecution counsel from the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Kano Command, said that the defendant committed the offence on June 26 at Tishama Yan Awakai Farin Bene Transformer, Kano.
He explained that Salisu procured and sexually exploited the minor in an uncompleted building.
The prosecution presented four exhibits, including the convict’s confessional statement and the victim’s testimony, to support the case.
The offence contravened Section 16(1) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015, and was punishable under Section 26(1) of the TIP Act, 2015.
However, the defense counsel, Mr. Inuwa Umar-Ibrahim, pleaded for leniency, citing the convict’s status as a first-time offender.
– Tribune
