Aminu Tafida, a son of the Special Adviser on Social Investments to the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, and two others, have been sentenced to four years and six months’ imprisonment.
The other convicts are Umar Abubakar and Masaud Gidado.
The three men were handed an option of N400,000 fine each, including compensation for the circulation of an 18-second nude video, in a case that suffered several adjournments.
Delivering judgement on Tuesday, Chief Magistrate Shu’aibu Ahmad of the Magistrates’ Court sitting in Sokoto said the prosecution proved its case beyond any reasonable doubt and as such, the three accused persons were guilty as charged.
While citing Section 209 of the ACJN of Sokoto 2019, Ahmad asked the defence counsel to make final submissions before he read his judgement.
The lawyers separately said they did not intend to call any other witness.
They, however, pleaded that justice should be tempered with mercy on the grounds that all the defendants were youths and first-time offenders, hence the need to consider fines.
In his judgement, Ahmad said for the offence of indecent act, the defendants were sentenced to pay a fine of N200,000 each, which default would lead to two years’ imprisonment.
He added that for the offence of sharing and selling an obscene book, the defendants were sentenced to pay N50,000 each or risk two years’ imprisonment.
Ahmad noted that for the offence of abatement, Section 48 of the Sokoto Penal Code provided for N50,000 penalty or conviction for six months.
The magistrate said each of the defendants should pay N100,000 compensation to the complainant.
Reacting to the development, both the prosecutor, ASP Simon Sule, and the complainant, said they were satisfied with the judgement.
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