Abuja Court Sentences Lovers to 3-Month Imprisonment Over Adultery
A Gwagwalada Magistrates’ Court in Abuja has sentenced Mohammed Nazifi, 30, and Bilkisu Ibrahim, 25, to three months in prison for committing adultery. The couple pleaded guilty to the charges, citing their family responsibilities as mitigating factors. Nazifi, a married man with young children, and Ibrahim, a mother of a 3-year-old child and caregiver to her elderly mother, both sought mercy from the court.
Magistrate Olatunji Oladunmoye had previously remanded the convicts, giving them an opportunity to provide witnesses to vouch for their good character. However, when they failed to present any witnesses, the court sentenced them to three months in prison each, with an option of paying a N25,000 fine.
In his ruling, Oladunmoye emphasized that the goal of the sentence was not to ruin the lives of the convicts but to reform them. He added that the sentence would also serve as a deterrent to others who might consider committing similar offenses.
The case was reported to the court by the complainant, Mr. Dayabe Abdullahi from Chibiri village, Kuje, on January 16. Prosecutor Dabo Yakubu explained that the convicts had confessed to committing adultery, which violated sections 387 and 388 of the Penal Code, which criminalizes extra-marital sexual intercourse under customary law.
