Bauchi State High Court has sentenced Yusuf Bako, 50, to life imprisonment for raping a girl inside a mosque along Aminu street in Bauchi metropolis.
LEADERSHIP reports that police arrested Bako in 2020 for the offence to which he admitted committing the crime. He was accused of raping a 4-year-old girl in the mosque during the height of COVID-19 lockdown. He was twice jailed for similar rape offences.
Director of Public Prosecution, Bauchi State Ministry of Justice, Barrister Sha’awanatu Yusuf disclosed this in an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP, yesterday, in her office.
She said the presiding judge of High Court No.6, Justice Sa’ad Zadawa delivered the judgement in late November this year after hearing parties in the case.
Sha’awanatu said the conviction is a milestone in the continued determination of the ministry to ensure justice for victims of rape and implementation of VAPP law currently operational in the state.
She noted that the Administration of Criminal Justice Act expedites the process of trials for suspected rape cases in the state, adding that more convictions are expected to trickle in.
She called on parents and guardians to cooperate with authorities in prosecuting suspected rape offences. “Some parents do not allow their children who became victims of rape to appear in court and give testimony,” Sha’awanatu added.
LEADERSHIP recalls that in 2022, Bauchi State governor, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, assented to the VAPP law which provides death penalty and life improvement for suspects of rape if convicted.
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