Appeal Court Nullifies High Court’s Judgement, Jails Man For Life For Sodomy On 2 Pupils

AISHA ABUBAKAR 

A man, Sani Ibrahim, will now spend the rest of his life in prison custody following the nullification of the judgment of High Court by the Appeal Court, which sentenced him to life imprisonment for sodomizing two Qur’anic school pupils in Sokoto State. 

 

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the lower Court had sentenced Ibrahim to three years imprisonment for the alleged offence and dismissed the witnesses of the victims.

 

However, the State Government appealed the judgment and the Court of Appeal set aside the judgement of the lower Court, found Ibrahim guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment for engaging the pupils in anal sex.

 

In the unanimous judgment, which was read by Justice Ebiowei Tobi, the appellant Court set aside the judgement of the lower court which gave him a lighter sentence.

The lower Court had sentenced him to three years imprisonment for trespassing and this was contested at the appeal Court by the state.

In the judgment, Justice Tobi, ruled that the lower Court erred to have said that the testimonies of PW 2 and 3, who were the victims, were not enough to convict the respondent for the alleged unnatural offence.

“These are the direct eye witness accounts which should not be ignored by the lower court,” he said

He added that the medical report of PW3 also confirmed penetration and the offence was not only condemnable but a crime against nature.

“I therefore, set aside the judgment of the lower court and sentence the respondent to life imprisonment,” he affirmed.

 

The judgment may have restored justice for the victims a.k.a Almajiris, who were molested and abused by the convict.

The Chief State Counsel, Barrister Murtala Gidanmadi, while speaking on the matter, hailed the verdict which he said would serve as deterrent for those into unnatural acts.