Hearing in Sunny Umar's trial held behind closed doors
The state has filed five charges against Hussain Sunny Umar for the alleged sexual abuse of multiple children, and he has been remanded in custody pending the conclusion of his trial.
Sunny, arrested on allegations of child sexual abuse, pictured inside a police vehicle. | Social Media
Hussain Sunny Umar, who faces serious allegations of child sexual abuse, is scheduled to be brought before the Criminal Court on Wednesday afternoon.
He is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday afternoon for the trial concerning four charges filed against him by the state. According to the Criminal Court schedule, the proceedings will be conducted behind closed doors.
The Prosecutor General's Office filed five charges at the Criminal Court last March against Hussain Sunny Umar, of G. Maavani, in connection with the alleged sexual abuse of several children.
The charges were filed in court on the 16th of this month. The charges against Hussain Sunny Umar include three counts of sexual abuse against children, one count of obstructing the administration of justice, and one count of providing false information to an official government agency.
The charges filed under Section 3 of the Act on Special Procedures for Perpetrators of Sexual Offences Against Children allege that the defendant intentionally touched the bodies of minors with sexual intent. Specifically, the first charge states that the defendant repeatedly sexually abused a child in various locations over several occasions, beginning before the victim reached the age of seven and continuing until August 2025.
The second charge alleges that he intentionally touched a child aged 10 or 11 with sexual intent, while the third charge involves similar allegations concerning a child aged 9 or 10. Each of these three charges carries a potential prison sentence of between 10 and 14 years.
He has been charged with obstruction of justice for failing to comply with a Criminal Court order to surrender his mobile phone to the police, claiming the device had been lost. The standard penalty for this offense is a prison sentence of one year, seven months, and six days.
In the case involving charges of providing false information to an official authority, Hussain Sunny Umar is accused of misleading the police regarding the SIM card number and type used in a mobile phone allegedly in his possession. The standard penalty for this offense is a prison sentence of four months and 24 days.
The Prosecutor General’s Office has stated that it will seek the maximum legal penalties if the charges are proven in court. According to the office, the defendant would face a minimum prison sentence of 44 years under such circumstances.
In connection with this case, Hussain Sunny Umar has been remanded in custody pending the conclusion of his trial, effective January 2, 2026. The court cited Section 30 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenders Act and Article 49 of the Constitution as the legal basis for his detention.
