By Fisayo Ogunsakin with agency reports
A Nasawara State High Court on Tuesday sentenced Ahmadu Yaro, a 32-year-old man, Ahmadu Yaro to 21 years imprisonment for raping a 3-month old.
The presiding Judge, Justice Aisha Badhir-Aliyu , ruled that the prosecution had presented irrefutable evidence , proving Yaro’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt after a lengthy 5-year trial.
The Nasawara State Command of Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) arrested the then 27-year-old defendant on the 23rd of June, 2020 after receiving information about the dastardly act which took place in Agogi village of Nasawara State.
The act itself took place on the 27th of May, 2020. According to the victim’s mother, Maimuna Adam, the infant was abducted in the middle of the night by the defendant while the family was asleep.
“We left the door to the room open before we went to sleep because of the heat. I woke up around 3am and found that my baby was missing. I checked and saw my phone was also missing.” She said. She immediately raised alarm, promptly waking the people in the compound who then came to the family’s aid and formed a search party.
The villagers eventually found the victim in an uncompleted building, bleeding and badly injured. She was rushed to the Dalhatu Arab specialist hospital (DASH), Lafia for treatment, but later referred to the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Plateau State when they deemed the infants injuries beyond their facility. The victim had to undergo four surgical procedures due to the severity of injuries she sustained.
Further investigations by the NSCDC revealed that this wasn’t the first, but rather the fifth of such incidents occuring in the Adogi village.
After his arrest, Ahmadu Yaro initially claimed to be mentally unstable before eventually admitting to his crimes. He also revealed that he had been involved in several sexual abuse cases, especially against babies in the Agogi community.
During her judgement, Justice Badhir-Aliyu described the act as “babaric, demonic and a direct attack on the moral conscience of society.”
The State Attorney General Mr. Isaac Danladi, hailed the verdict as a strong message to sexual predators and a victory for justice, symbolizing the states institutional commitment to tackling sexual and gender-based violence. He also commended the victim’s parents, the Adogi community and other stakeholders for their resilience and support throughout the trial.
Yaro will serve his time without probability of parole.
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