Court orders two men castrated and hanged for rape in Kaduna

A Kaduna State High Court has sentenced two individuals, John Moses and Yakubu Mohammed, to death by hanging and surgical castration for rape, while a third convict, Mustapha Musa, received a life imprisonment sentence.

The Commissioner for the Ministry of Human Services and Social Development, Hajiya Rabi Salisu, disclosed the verdicts to Daily Trust on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, stating that the ministry secured three convictions for rape between June 2024 and February 2025.

She described the rulings as a positive step in the fight against sexual violence and expressed hope that the punishments would serve as a deterrent to others.

According to Salisu, Moses was convicted on June 7, 2024, by Justice Nana in case number KDH/KAD/57c/2023, where he was found guilty of rape and incest under Section 258(1) of the Penal Code Law 2017 (as amended) and sentenced to death by hanging along with surgical castration.

Similarly, Mohammed was convicted on February 6, 2025, by Justice B. Yusuf in case number KDH/KAD/69c/2023 for two counts of rape under the same law and received the same sentence.

In another case, Musa was convicted on February 24, 2025, by Justice Isa Aliyu in case number KDH/KAD/66c/2021 for two counts of rape under Section 258 of the Penal Code and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

The cases were prosecuted by M.P. Danjuma Esq. and Halimatu S. Bello Esq. under the ministry’s legal team.