Jigawa Monarch Accused of Raping and Infecting Girl With HIV

Umar Ibrahim, the village head of Dan Gulam in Gwaram Local Government Area of Jigawa State, finds himself embroiled in a disturbing controversy as he faces allegations of rape, impregnation, and infecting a young girl with HIV. The shocking accusations were brought to light in a letter dated October 16, 2023, addressed to the Secretary of the Dutse Emirate Council by Kabiru Abdullah, the Senior State Counsel in the Jigawa State Ministry of Justice. The letter, titled “Notification of arraignment of Umar Ibrahim (Village Head of Dan Gulam) on the offence of rape,” invokes Section 3 (1) (A and D) of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law 2021.

According to the letter, a complaint was filed at the Office of the Attorney General by Ya’u Muhammad, who alleged that Umar Ibrahim, the Village Head of Dan Gulam, engaged in an illegal sexual relationship with his daughter, resulting in her pregnancy and the transmission of HIV. This distressing revelation sparked a series of legal actions.

Upon receiving the complaint, all involved parties were summoned, and during discussions with the Attorney General, Umar Ibrahim disclosed that he had filed a defamation case against the girl, her father, and one Sule Umar of Dan Gulam village at the Upper Shari’a Court in Gwaram. In response, the Attorney General directed that the case be transferred to the Upper Sharia Court in Gwaram, with all parties referred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Dutse for a thorough investigation.

Following the CID’s investigation, the case file was sent to the Ministry of Justice for legal advice. The legal advice, to the astonishment of the Attorney General, indicated a prima facie case of criminal conspiracy and rape against Umar Ibrahim, the Village Head of Dan Gulam in Gwaram LGA. Consequently, he is set to be arraigned before a court in the near future.

Despite these developments, reports suggest that there is pressure on the emirate to hush up the issue, even in the face of appeals and the intervention of the state government through the Attorney General’s office. However, the family of the victim is calling on Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to intervene and ensure the girl’s safety and justice are served.

In a telephone interview, Umar Ibrahim vehemently denied the accusations, asserting that he was not responsible for the girl’s pregnancy. He claimed that the initial dispute was related to a land issue with his district head when he allocated land to a former Chairman of Gwaram LGA. Furthermore, he admitted to being HIV positive for the past decade, a result of his marriage to an infected widow. Umar Ibrahim vehemently declared his innocence, stating, “I swear I didn’t do it.”