Sani Ibrahim has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Court of Appeal in Sokoto State for sexually assaulting two Qur’anic school pupils, commonly referred to as Almajiris.
The ruling was made in a unanimous decision delivered by Justice Ebiowei Tobi, who found the initial sentence imposed by the lower court to be excessively lenient.
Originally, the lower court had sentenced Ibrahim to merely three years in prison for trespassing, a decision that the state successfully challenged at the appellate court.
Justice Tobi pointed out that the lower court erred in disregarding the testimonies of the two victims, known as PW2 and PW3, which were vital in securing Ibrahim’s conviction for the unnatural offence, Trust TV reports.
“These were direct eyewitness accounts that should not have been ignored by the lower court,” the judge remarked.
He further noted that the medical report provided by PW3 confirmed the presence of penetration, reinforcing the case against the accused.
Justice Tobi condemned the act, characterising it as a crime against nature.
“I hereby set aside the judgment of the lower court and sentence the respondent to life imprisonment,” he concluded.
In response to the ruling, Chief State Counsel Barrister Murtala Gidanmadi praised the verdict, expressing confidence that it would deter others engaging in similar criminal behaviour.