A mild drama took place at Chief Magistrate Court 4 in Yola, Adamawa State on Friday, when the court convicted and sentenced a 31 year old man, Zakaria Mallam, to 9 years inprisonment without of option of fine.
The court sentenced the young man for 2 years inprisonment for deserting (abandoning) the pregnant woman, and 7 years for attempting to escape after he was convicted, and further held that the sentences are to run concurrently.
The Convict, Zakaria of Pariya village in Fufore Local Government Area in Adamawa state was earlier charged to court for deserting one Maryam Lami Usman of Unguwan Yungur whom he put in a family way.
Maryam had on the 16th June, 2021, lodged a complaint at the Divisional Police headquaters in Girei that Zakaria, impregnated her, and that when she broke the news of the pregnancy to him, he started running away from her and to the extend refusing to pick her calls.
She narrated that the convict, criminally conspired with one Sunday Assoga, of the same address who owns a patent medicine store at Pariya and administered some hard drugs and injection so as to abort the pregnancy.
According to her, all efforts by the duo to carry out a clandestine abortion failed as it could not be terminated up to date, saying that she was later dignosed by a medical officer and informed that "the baby is still alive but only weak as a result of hard drugs and injection".
The convict who was arrested by the police and charged to court on the 18th June, 2021, he admitted committing the crime after which the court adjourned the case to 28th June, 2021 for corroboration as prayed by the Prosecutor, Inspector Wamkai Ngapuro.
At the resumed sitting on the 28th June, 2021, the Prosecutor withdrew his application for corroboration and applied for summary trial of the defendant and now the convict where the court granted the application and adjourned the matter to 2nd July, 2021 for determination.
Ruling on the case on Friday, the court presided by Magistrate Adamu Abdulrazak, convicted and sentenced the defendant to 2 years imprisonment with N150, 000 option of fine.
But immediately after his conviction, Zakaria, a youngman hurriedly went out of the court hall as if he wanted to ease himself where he successfully beat all the court staff, security men and took to his heels in an effort to escape.
NEWS PLATFORM saw him running seriously and following the road leading to Government House Yola, while waving hands (bye bye) to people and being vigorously pursued by the Prosecutor, other security men, court staff where he was apprehended and brought back to court.
Irked by his action, the Honourable Judge recalled his case file and invoked section 138 of the state penal code law and slammed him 7 years jail term for an attempt to escape, totalling 9 years in prison without option of fine.
The section stipulates thus:" Whoever intentionally offers any resistance or illegal obstruction to lawful arrest of himself for any offence with which he is charged or of which he has been convicted or escapes or attempts to escape from any custody in which he is lawfully detained for any such offence, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of not less than 7 years and not exceeding 14 years".
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