The Nation reports that a mararaba Upper Area Court in Nasarawa State has sentenced a 16-year-old boy to eight months’’ imprisonment for having carnal knowledge of a four-year-old girl. The judge, Mr. Ibrahim Shekarau, sentenced the convict without an option of fine and ordered court officials to give him 14 strokes of the cane. He said since the convict was underage, he should be taken to a rehabilitation centre in Kaduna State where he would serve his jail term. Shekarau ordered the convict to pay N30,000 to the nominal complainant as money spent for treatment.
The defendant, a resident of Mararaba in Nasarawa State, pleaded guilty to the charge of gross indecency. The police prosecutor, Mr. Godwin Ejeh, said the complainant, Isaac (surname unknown), of the same address with the convict, reported the matter at Abacha Road Police Station, Mararaba, on November 10. He said on November 5, the convict had carnal knowledge of the complainant’s daughter. Ejeh said the victim was hospitalised.