Court Jails Woman For Maltreating Stepchildren

A Magistrate Court II sitting in Yola, Adamawa State, has convicted and sentenced a housewife, Fatima Abubakar, to one-year imprisonment for child abuse.

The sentence is to be served at a correctional centre without the option of a fine.

The court, presided over by Magistrate M. A. Adamu, sentenced 37-year-old Fatima Abubakar of Sanda Makama B Ward in Yola South Local Government Area after she was found guilty of the offence tagged cruelty to persons.

In addition to the one year of loss of freedom, the convict was ordered by the court to pay N100,000 to the government as well as N150,000 as medical bills for the treatment of the two children that she maltreated.

She had earlier confessed to torturing a baby girl and her older brother who are her stepchildren but left under her care.

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Her husband and father of the children, Abubakar Yuguda who was arraigned with her over the child abuse charge, was granted bail.

Abubakar was admitted to bail after he fulfilled the conditions for it, and the court adjourned his matter for the continuation of hearing.

The couple had earlier been arraigned before the court by the prosecuting police officer, SP Iliya Akawu, for the offence of child abuse which contravenes sections 60 and 209 of the Penal Code Law of Adamawa State.

The couple got dragged to court after Fatima, according to the allegations, repeatedly maltreated her stepson Usman Abubakar who is three years old and his sister, Hafsat Abubakar who is two years old.