23rd March, 2012
An Abuja Senior Magistrates’ Court has sentenced a 39-year old businessman, Adamu Mohammed, to two months’ imprisonment for breach of trust and cheating.
In his judgment on Thursday, Senior Magistrate Aminu Abdullahi said that the convict would serve one month for breach of trust and another one month for cheating, adding that the sentence should run concurrently
Abdullahi, however, gave the convict an option of N5,000 fine.
The police prosecutor, Corporal Paul Anigbo, told the court that on January 28, John Matthias of Lugbe Zone 6, lodged a complaint at Lugbe Police Station that sometime in July 2011, the accused deceived him and collected some goods valued N269,000 from him.
Anigbo said that the accused, who resides at Lugbe Village, Abuja, sold the items but failed to pay him and converted the money to his use.
He said that all attempts made by the complainant to get his money proved abortive.
The prosecutor said that the offence was contrary to Sections 312 and 322 of the Penal Code.
The accused, who pleaded guilty, begged the court for mercy.
The prosecutor urged the court to order Mohammed to pay the sum of N269,000 as compensation to the complainant, but the magistrate rejected the application and advised that the complainant should come by way of a civil suit.