The Kasuwan Nama Upper Area Court in Jos, on Thursday, sentenced a labourer Yakubu Aji, 45, to six years in prison for raping a 10-year-old girl.
Aji, who was first arraigned in 2017, over allegation of having unlawful carnal knowledge of an underage girl, pleaded not guilty to the charge and was remanded in prison.
However, at the resumption of the long drawn trial on Thursday, the labourer requested to change his not guilty plea to guilty, which the judge, Mr. Lawal Suleiman, granted.
Following Aji’s new plea and prayer to temper justice with mercy, Suleiman convicted the labourer of the charge of having unlawful carnal knowledge of the underage girl.
The judge thereafter sentenced the convict to six years imprisonment without an option of fine, and said that the punishment was to serve as a deterrent to sexual predators.
Suleiman, however, ruled that the sentence would start from the date the artisan was first arraigned and remanded in prison custody.
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News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the convict will therefore spend three more years in prison to complete his sentence.
Earlier during the trial, the police prosecutor, Mr Ibrahim Gokwat told the court that the case was reported on Jan. 11, 2017, at Laranto Police station by the complainant, Mr Christian Solomon, of Alheri Area, Jos.
Gokwat said that the complainant alleged that the convict, a neighbour, living in the same compound with the girl and her family, lured her into his room and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her.
The prosecutor said the offence contravened Section 283 of the Penal Code law of Plateau State.
NAN
