The Jigawa State High Court No. 11, sitting in Ringim, has sentenced a 50-year-old man, Abubakar Biniya, to 10 years’ imprisonment for raping an 11-year-old girl.
Justice Muhammad El-Usman handed down the judgment on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, after finding Biniya, of Galadanchi Quarters, Ringim Local Government Area, guilty of the offence.
According to a statement issued by the Director of Information and Protocol of the Jigawa State High Court, Abbas Rufa’i Wangara, the convict committed the offence in January 2024 at Galadanchi Quarters, Ringim.
The prosecution, led by the Ministry of Justice, called six witnesses and tendered five exhibits, including a medical report, in support of the case.
Biniya testified in his defence but did not call any other witness.
The court, while sentencing him, considered his plea for leniency and the fact that he was a first-time offender.
In addition to the 10-year custodial sentence, the court ordered the convict to pay N500,000 in compensation to the victim.
The court also ordered that his name be published in the Jigawa State Sexual Offenders Register maintained by the Ministry of Justice.
It further directed that the convict be publicly shamed through radio announcements, pursuant to Section 3(2), (4) and (5) of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law No. 02 of 2021.
The court gave the parties three months within which to appeal the judgment.
In separate judgments delivered on the same day, the court discharged Sale Kurma, 55, of Tsinaho Village, Taura LGA, and Mansur Ahmed, 22, of Tsira Village, Ringim LGA, who were facing rape charges.
The court also discharged Haruna Ahmadu of Marawa Village, Ringim LGA, who was charged with criminal conspiracy and robbery.
The three defendants were discharged after the prosecution failed to establish the charges against them.
