By RAMATU GARBA

A Kano State High Court has sentenced a 32-year-old man, Muhammad Zulfalalu, popularly known as “Mai siket” to 20 years imprisonment for raping an 85-year-old woman.

Zulfalalu, a resident of Gidan Kwano, Kwanar Dangora in Kiru Local Government Area of the state, was convicted on a nine-count charge bordering on rape and housebreaking.

Delivering judgment, Justice Aisha Mahmoud held that the prosecution had proven its case beyond the reasonable doubt.

Mahmoud sentenced the defendant to 20 years imprisonment for rape and six years for housebreaking.

The Judge ordered that both sentences should run concurrently and awarded N500,000 as compensation to the victim.

Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Aisha Yakubu-Adamu, told the court that the defendant committed the offence between August. 2019 and June 2020 in Gidan Kwano, Kiru Local Government.

She said the defendant unlawfully entered the victim’s residence at night and raped her.

Yakubu-Adamu further told the court that the defendant, popularly known as “Mai Siket”, had been entering homes at night while naked to rape young girls and women before his arrest.

The prosecutor presented six witnesses to the court to prove her case.

Yakubu-Adamu said the offences contravened Sections 283 and 356 of the Penal Code.

The defendant pleaded guilty to the charges.

Reacting to the judgment, the Kano State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Abdulkarim Kabiru-Maude (SAN), described the conviction as a significant step towards strengthening public confidence in the justice system and protecting vulnerable persons from abuse and exploitation.

Kabiru-Maude stated this in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Dr Abubakar Tijjani-Ibrahim.

He commended Yakubu-Adamu, the Principal State Counsel, for the successful prosecution of the case.

The attorney-general said the state government, under the leadership of Gov. Abba Kabir-Yusuf, remained committed to building a justice system that promotes accountability, safeguards human dignity and ensures the timely prosecution of criminal offences.

“Sexual and gender-based violence constitute serious threats to society and warned that anyone found culpable would face the full weight of the law” he said

Kabiru-Maude also commended state counsel in the Ministry of Justice for their dedication and professionalism, urging them to sustain efforts toward effective justice delivery.

He reiterated the ministry’s commitment to upholding the rule of law, protecting the rights of citizens and supporting the government’s vision of a secure, just and inclusive society. (NAN)