Bauchi court sentences head teacher for fingering 6-year-old student
The presiding Judge of Bauchi State High Court No. 11, Justice Nana Fatimah Jibrin, has sentenced Jalaludeen Zakari, a head teacher in Burra, Ningi Local Government Area of the state, to 11 years in prison for an offense against one of his pupils, a 6-year-old girl who was at the school for admission screening.
According to reports, the prosecutor, Barrister Dayabu Ayuba, who also serves as a state counsel with the Bauchi State Ministry of Justice, disclosed that during the trial, he presented three witnesses, including the victim, who testified before the court.
Ayuba elaborated that the perpetrator had insisted the victim stay back after official school hours and dismissed all other pupils.
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He further explained, “Although he did not use his manhood on the girl, he fingered her and, in legal parlance, this is tantamount to rape.”
The judgment was passed in July after Jalaludeen pleaded with the court for leniency.
This follows a series of similar cases, including a high court judge sentencing a man to life imprisonment for raping a girl inside a mosque, and two others being handed 35 years imprisonment each for culpable homicide and removing the private part of a teenage girl in Jama’are in 2023.
The court’s decision reflects the commitment to uphold justice and safeguard the welfare and rights of minors in educational settings, sending a clear message about the serious consequences of such actions.