[News] Man to serve 9 years in prison after he tried fleeing from court when he was convicted for abandoning woman he impregnated

A man has been sentenced to 9 years in prison after he attempted to escape from a chief magistrate’s court after the court sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment for abandoning a woman he impregnated.

31-year-old Mallam Zakaria, an indigene of Pariya village in the Fufore Local Government Area of Adamawa State, was earlier charged with deserting one Maryam Usman, of Anguwan Yungur, whom he impregnated in Adamawa state.

Maryam Usman lodged a complaint on June 16, 2021, at the Divisional Police Headquarters in Girei that Zakaria impregnated her and started avoiding her and also stopped taking her calls after she broke the news to him,

Maryam also claimed that Zakaria conspired with the operator of a pharmacy, Sunday Assoga, to terminate her pregnancy, with the chemist unsuccessfully administering abortion pills to her, which failed to remove the pregnancy.

The convict, who was arrested by the police and charged to court on June 18, 2021, admitted to committing the crime, while his alleged co-conspirator was left off the hook at the resumed hearing of the case on June 28, 2021.

Magistrate Adamu Abdulrazak, while ruling on July 2, the adjourned date of the case, convicted and sentenced the defendant to two years’ imprisonment with an option of fine of N150,000.

But shortly after his conviction, Zakaria asked for permission to urinate then fled by scaling the court fence.

He was chased by the prosecutor and other security personnel and was eventually caught with the assistance of pedestrians and bystanders around the government house gate.

Because of his attempt to flee, the magistrate recalled his case file and invoked Section 138 of the state penal code law and slammed him with seven years’ jail term for attempted escape, totalling nine years in prison without any option of fine.