Man to spend life in prison for raping nine-year-old girl in Jigawa
A man who in 2025 raped a nine-year-old girl in Jigawa state has been sentenced to life imprisonment after he was found guilty of the offence.
The accused, Bashir A Umar, was dragged to court by the Jigawa State Government for rape of a minor and causing grievous harm to the girl.
The Jigawa State High Court 6 sitting in Birnin Kudu sentence Umar to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of raping the nine-year-old girl in Galamawa area of Dutse, the state capital.
The judge, Justice Musa Ubale found the accused guilty of the two-count charge of rape and causing grievous bodily harm.
Justice Ubale added that having found the accused guilty the court convicted and sentenced him to life imprisonment on the first count and seven years on the second.
He is also to N1 million as restitution to the girl.
The court ordered the state Ministry of Justice to include Bashir A Umar’s name in the Naming and Shaming Registrar of Sexual Offenders.
Meanwhile the Jigawa State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Bello AbdulKadir Fanini, who prosecuted the case, commended the life sentence, describing it as a victory for justice and the rule of law.
In a press statement made available to The Syndicate in Dutse, the commissioner recalled that the case came to light in early 2025, prompting swift action by the Jigawa State Government under Governor Umar Namadi.
“While the culprit was promptly charged to court, the victim, who suffered severe physical and psychological trauma, was provided with medical treatment and rehabilitation by the government,” he said.
He added that the state, in collaboration with the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and the First Lady of Jigawa State, Hajiya Hadiza Umar Namadi, facilitated the relocation of the victim’s family to a furnished three-bedroom house in Dutse.
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