Three men, Amiru Sani, Aliyu Umar, and Bashar Dan-Inno of Wararin Zaromawa village, were on Tuesday sentenced to life imprisonment by the Kebbi State High Court presided by Justice Shamsudeen Jafar for raping an 18-year-old deaf, married woman.

Reporters gathered that the convicts were arraigned for two counts of criminal conspiracy and rape, offences punishable under Sections 259 and 60 of the Kebbi State Penal Code Law, 2021.

The court heard that the acts were perpetrated at the Wararin Zaromawa village in Gwandu Local Government Area of the state. According to the prosecution Counsel Faridah Muhammad, the three defendants raped the victim while she was asleep.

“The defendants broke into the victim’s house while she was asleep and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her. They choked her with a thick piece of cloth and tied her hands with a rope before having carnal knowledge of her one by one,” she said.

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The judge stated that the prosecution had proved all the elements of carnal knowledge of the victim (name withheld) saying this was done through the statement of the victim and the first defendant and found all their evidence uncontested by the defence.

“I am of the firm view that all the defendants conspired in perpetrating the act. Meanwhile, the convicts conspired and raped the victim, who is an 18-year-old deaf woman, at her husband’s residence. All ingredients needed to establish a criminal conspiracy to commit rape were established beyond reasonable doubt by the prosecution. The court has no option but to act upon the evidence before it,” he said.

Our correspondent gathered that the prosecution had earlier called three witnesses and tendered six exhibits, including both English and Hausa language statements of the three prosecution witnesses, in support of her case.

The prosecution counsel prayed the court to convict the defendants as charged because the law imposed a mandatory sentence.

Delivering his judgment, Justice Shamsudeen Jafar stated that the court held the view that it had found the first, second, and third defendants guilty as charged.

“Having found you guilty of the charge, you, Amiru Sani, Aliyu Umar, and Bashar Dan-Inno, are hereby sentenced to life imprisonment for finding all of you guilty under Sections 259 and 60 of the Kebbi State Penal Code Law, 2021,” he declared.