A Federal High Court sitting in Kano, on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, sentenced a 31-year-old man, Lawan Salisu, to three years imprisonment for sexually abusing a 10-year-old boy.
Mr Salisu, of Tishama Yan Awakai Farin Bene Transformer in Nassarawa Local Government, Kano State, was convicted on a one-count charge of procurement and sexual exploitation after he pleaded guilty to the charge.
Delivering judgement, Justice Simon Amobeda, held that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.
“The offence is punishable by not less than seven years imprisonment and a fine of N1 million.
“I have tempered justice with mercy as a first-time offender, according to the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
“I hereby sentence the convict to three years imprisonment without option of fine. This will serve as a deterrent to others as cases like this are becoming prevalent,” the judge said.
He urged the convict to tender an apology to the victim and his family.
Earlier, Hassan Nuruddeen, prosecution counsel, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Kano Command, said the defendant committed the offence at Tishama Awakai Farin Bene Transformer Kano, on June 26, 2024.
Mr Nuruddeen said that on the same date, the defendant procured the minor and sexually exploited him by defilement, in an uncompleted building at Tishama.
The prosecution presented four exhibits, including the confessional statement of the convict and the victim’s testimony to the court, to prove his case.
He said the offence contravened the provisions of Section 16(1) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015 and was punishable under Section 26(1) of NAPTIP ACT 2015.
The defence counsel, Inuwa Umar-Ibrahim, however, pleaded for leniency on behalf of the convict, as a first-time offender.
