Man Jailed 5 Years, Ordered to Pay ₦20,000 Monthly After Impregnating Secondary School Girl
A court in Adamawa State has sentenced a man to five years imprisonment for leaving his secondary school girlfriend, who is expecting a child, without any financial or medical support for the welfare of the mother and unborn child.
Kabiru Umar was convicted by Hon. Abdulrahman Njidda Esq, the lawyer for the father of the pregnant student and the girl, secured Kabiru Musa’s pleading guilty to the charges against him by the Upper Area Court 1 in Ganye Local Government Area.
The court proceedings said Umar went to the girl’s father to ask permission to marry his daughter, but didn’t tell him she was already pregnant with him. He took responsibility at first, but then left the girl and did not offer her support while she was pregnant.
The court imposed a five-year prison term on Umar, which could be met with a fine of ₦200,000. In addition to the punishment, the judge ordered him to pay for the medical costs, antenatal care and other welfare costs associated with the pregnancy.
The court also ordered Umar to pay the girl’s father, ₦200,000, for legal expenses incurred, and ₦20,000 per month for the girl’s maintenance until she gives birth to the baby or a court orders otherwise.
The decision strengthens adults’ duty to safeguard children and youth from neglect and abandonment. Child protection advocates not only want legal accountability for such cases, but ongoing support systems to ensure that the children and young mothers receive continued education, health and future care.
The judge said the ruling was meant to hold accountable and to send a message that people who are not responsible for pregnancies involving young girls can be held to account.
