Two Sentenced to Death, Surgical Castration; One to Life Imprisonment for Rape in Kaduna

A Kaduna State court has sentenced two individuals, John Moses and Yakubu Mohammed, to death by hanging and surgical castration for rape. A third person, Mustapha Musa, received a life imprisonment sentence for the same crime.

The state’s Commissioner for Human Services and Social Development, Hajiya Rabi Salisu, confirmed the convictions in a statement to *Daily Trust* on Wednesday, March 5, 2025. She described the rulings as a significant step in the fight against sexual violence and expressed hope that they would serve as a deterrent.

According to Salisu, the ministry secured three rape convictions between June 2024 and February 2025. The first case, decided on June 7, 2024, saw John Moses convicted of rape and incest under Section 258 (1) of the Penal Code Law 2017. He was sentenced to death by hanging and surgical castration by Justice Nana in case number KDH/KAD/57c/2023.

In a separate judgment on February 6, 2025, Justice B. Yusuf presided over the trial of Yakubu Mohammed in case KDH/KAD/69c/2023. Mohammed was found guilty on two counts of rape under the same law and received an identical sentence—death by hanging and surgical castration.

The third conviction, delivered on February 24, 2025, involved Mustapha Musa, who was found guilty on two counts of rape under Section 258 of the Penal Code. Justice Isa Aliyu sentenced him to life imprisonment in case KDH/KAD/66c/2021.

The cases were prosecuted by M.P. Danjuma Esq. and Halimatu S. Bello Esq.