Pascal Arogorn Ibe
An Army Court Martial has sentenced to jail one tank Corporal Aliyu Yakubu of the Nigerian Army for five years for raping a 13-year-old girl in Bama, Borno State.
The judge advocate captain Aminu Mairua in summarising the details of the case told the court sitting in the 7 division senior officers mess at Marmalari barracks that the rape actually happened at Bama on the 1st of July 2018 adding that the brazen act of the soldier became known to army authorities when a man saw the rape victim walking in an uncomplimentary way and accosted her when she came out of the uncompleted building where the act took place.
“Having listened to her story and seeing her bleeding dress, he took her to the tank battalion in Bama to make a formal report which has culminated into this case which ended today,” Captain Mairua said.
The accused was jailed on a two-count charge of defilement which is an offence under section 78 of the armed forces act and assault which is an offence under section 104 sub (2) paragraph A of the Armed forces act.
Trouble started for Corporal Yakubu of the 202 tank battalion Bama when he accosted 13-year-old Ina-ami Modu of Bama also who was returning from her sister’s place that fateful day to her mother’s house and stopped her for pleasantries thinking she was a free girl.
The little girl refused to stop and moved on but he grabbed from behind and started chasing her to have intercourse with her but she stood her ground and refused.
The judge advocate revealed that “After demanding to have sex with the girl and the girl refused, he dragged her into an uncompleted building and forced her hijab into her mouth and later pinned her down and tried to sleep with her.
“On discovering that the young girl was a virgin when he couldn’t penetrate just like that and the girl was shouting for help since he was stronger, he resolved to assault the girl by hitting her head to silence her and forcefully entered her, spilling blood all over the ground and leaving his neck chain also on the ground because he was in a desperate hurry to leave the scene after the damage has been done.”
He said the girl sustained serious injuries from the blocks he used to hit her on the head in the process of raping her.
Delivering judgement the President of the court-martial, Brigadier General Aripko Ekubi found the soldier guilty of all the two charges and sentenced him to five years in the correctional centre after a strong plea for mercy from his defence counsel, Babagana Zana
He was ultimately dismissed from service on the second charge with a caveat that his case would be reviewed by higher authorities in the fullness of time.
Lead prosecuting counsel captain Fortune Epelle said that the accused has been in confinement since July 2018 but the court marshal started in July 2020 adding that his sentencing will be ratified by superior authorities and may likely run concurrently.
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