An 80-year-old man, Ya’u Abdullahi, was on Monday sentenced to seven years imprisonment by a Federal High Court sitting in Kano, for sexually exploiting an eight-year-old girl.
The Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) Kano Command, arraigned Abdullahi of Layin Gidan Mai Unguwar Brigade Quarters, Nassarawa Local Government with sexual exploitation.
Justice S M Shu’aibu, held that the prosecution counsel had proved its case beyond the reasonable doubt.
Said he: “I hereby sentence Ya’u Abdullahi to seven years imprisonment without any option of fine”.
Earlier, the Prosecution counsel and Kano Zonal Commander NAPTIP, Mr Abdullahi Babale, told the court that the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, Kano Metropolitan, reported the matter to the agency on August 27.
He said the defendant committed the offence on August 26, 2024, at about 8:00 p.m at Murtala Market Nassarawa Local Government Kano.
Babale said that the defendant lured the eight-year-old girl of Brigade Gama Nassarawa Local Government into a quiet place at Murtala Market and molested her.
The Prosecution presented the confessional statement of the defendant and the victims testimony in Hausa and English Language translation to the court to prove its case.
The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge.
The prosecutor said that the offence contravened the provision of section 16 (1) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015 and punishable under Sec 26 (1) of TIP ACT 2015.
The defence counsel, Hajiya Fatima Chabir, pleaded for leniency on behalf of Abdullahi.
