A Kano State High Court, presided over by Justice Musa Dahuru Muhammad, has sentenced a football coach, Hayatu Muhammad, to eight years in prison without the option of a fine for sodomising one of his underage players.
The convict, a resident of Sanka in Dala Local Government Area, was found guilty of committing the offence on two separate occasions and at different locations.
Initially, Muhammad pleaded not guilty to the charges. However, during the trial, the prosecution counsel, Ibrahim Arif Garba, called five witnesses whose testimonies established the case beyond reasonable doubt.
In his defence, the accused stood as the sole witness but failed to convince the court of his innocence.
Justice Dahuru, after carefully reviewing the evidence and witness statements, ruled that the defendant was guilty as charged under Section 284 of the Penal Code Law.
He subsequently sentenced Muhammad to four years’ imprisonment on each of the two counts, to run concurrently, beginning from the date of the judgment.
