11th April, 2018
A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Kano, on Wednesday sentenced a 31-year-old man, Isma’il Umar, to 23 months imprisonment for reckless driving and manslaughter.
The convict, who resides at Sassakawa Village, Danbatta Local Government Area of Kano state , was arraigned on a two-count charge of causing death by driving without due care.
The convict was also charged with driving with expired driver’s licence.
The presiding Judge, Chief Magistrate, Hajiya Halima Nasir, sentenced the Umar after he (Umar) admitted his guilt and pleaded for the court’s mercy.
The judge sentenced the convict to three months imprisonment on the first count charge and 20 months imprisonment on the second count charge.
He, however, gave the convict an option to pay N10,000, as fine for the first count sentence and N20,000 as fine for the second count sentence.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp John Samson, told the court that the accused committed the offence on March, 22 at about 5.21 p.m while heading from Danbatta Local Government Area towards Kano City.
He said the accused, who possessed an expired driver’s licence, recklessly drove his car, a Golf with registration number DBT 251 B7, at Doka Village along Kano-Daura road.
“The accused knocked down a pedestrian, an 11- year old girl, Khadija Yusuf, who was trying to cross the road and sustained head injury.
“The victim was rushed to Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano for treatment, where she was admitted and later died on March, 26 while receiving treatment,” he told the court.
The prosecutor said the offence contravened Sections 27, 7(1) of Road Traffic Regulations (RTR).