An area court in Gwagwalada, Abuja, has sentenced an 18-year-old labourer, Abdulraman Saliyu, to 15 years in prison for defiling a four-year-old girl.
Saliyu pleaded guilty to the charge and begged the court for leniency.
Delivering judgment, Malam Abdullahi Abdulkarim, sentenced Saliyu to 15 years imprisonment without an option of fine.
Abdulkarim also ordered the convict to pay N800,000 as compensation to the nominal complainant following an oral application for compensation made by the prosecution counsel, Abdullahi Tanko.
Earlier, Tanko told the court that the matter was reported at the Gwagwalada Division by one Mrs Safiyat Musa on May 29.
The defence counsel, Mr Okere Chamberlain, prayed the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing the convict.
In a related development, a Federal High Court in Kaduna on Thursday sentenced a labourer, Adam Shola, to four years imprisonment for selling Indian hemp.
Justice Mohammed held that, “The court is convinced beyond reasonable doubt going by the weight of the evidence adduced before me. I, therefore, pronounce the defendant guilty and convict him summarily.
“The convict is hereby sentenced to four years imprisonment beginning from May 5, when he was arrested.”
The judge ordered the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to destroy the drugs after 90 days if the convict did not appeal the judgment.
Earlier, the NDLEA’s counsel, T. I. Atserhegh, told the court that the defendant was arrested on May 5, at Kawo Bus Stop, Kaduna, while selling the drug.
(NAN)