Minna — Magistrate Hauwa Yusuf of a Magistrates' Court in Minna, Niger, yesterday sentenced a 33-year-old Islamic teacher, Abubakar Abdullahi, to seven years imprisonment with hard labour for having anal sex with 35 children who were his pupils with an option of a N2 million fine after serving the first four years of the sentence.

Abubakar Abdullahi, a resident at Sabon Gari area in Kontagora town, was charged with "unnatural offence" contrary to section 284 of the state's penal code law.

Police Prosecutor, ASP. Daniel Ikwoche, told the court that the case was reported to the police by one Murtala Abdullahi, an Islamic security man (Hisbah Commander) in Kontagora on July 22 this year.

Ikwoche said the complainant alleged that the accused person lured 35 of his pupils who were between the ages of 9 and 14 years into his room one after the other and had anal intercourse with them on different occasions between March and July this year.

When the charge was read to him, the cleric pleaded guilty and begged the court for leniency.

Thereafter, the prosecutor prayed the court to try him summarily in line with section 157 of the Criminal Procedure Code.