A Kano State High Court, located on Miller Road, has handed down an eight-year prison sentence to football coach Hayatu Muhammad for engaging in sodomy with a minor under his supervision. The sentence was imposed without the possibility of a fine.
Presiding over the case, Justice Musa Dahuri Muhammad found the coach guilty on two separate charges of sexually abusing the young player at different venues within Kano State.
The prosecution, led by Barrister Ibrahim Arif Garba, revealed that thorough investigations confirmed the allegations against Muhammad, a resident of the Sanka district in Kano. The court was persuaded by the testimonies of two witnesses who corroborated the minor’s account of the abuse.
Throughout the proceedings, the defendant maintained his innocence. Nevertheless, the court concluded that the evidence presented by the prosecution was sufficient to establish guilt beyond any reasonable doubt.
Justice Dahiru emphasized that the acts committed contravened Section 284 of the Penal Code, which outlaws unnatural sexual offenses. Consequently, the coach was sentenced to serve four years for each count, with the terms to be served concurrently, commencing from the date of his arrest.