AISHA ABUBAKAR
A football coach, Hayatu Muhammad, has been sentenced to eight years imprisonment without an option of fine for sodomising one of his underaged players by penetrating his anus in Kano State.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that it was the judgment of the Kano State High Court, which found him guilty of sodomy under the Criminal Law of the State and sentenced him accordingly.
The Presiding Judge, Justice Musa Dahuru Muhammad, delivered the judgment on Wednesday, sentencing Hayatu without the option of a fine having gone through the trial.
The prosecution told the Court that the coach, who lives in Sanka area of Kano metropolis, committed the offence twice in different locations.
He initially pleaded not guilty hence the trial which lasted for several months before the judgment.
To prove the case beyond reasonable doubt, the State Counsel, Barrister Ibrahim Arif Garba, presented five witnesses who testified against the defendant.
In his defense, Hayatu took the witness stand alone.
The prosecution stated that his action violated Section 284 of the Penal Code Law, which criminalises sodomy.
After reviewing all the evidence and witness statements, Justice Dahuru ruled that the prosecution had successfully proved the case.
He sentenced Hayatu to four years in prison on each of the two counts, to run concurrently — meaning he will serve a total of eight years starting from the day of the judgment.