18th October, 2013
A Grade One Area Court in Kuje, FCT, on Friday sentenced a 27-year old labourer, Suleiman Lawal, to four months in prison for stealing blocks from a building site.
Lawal was arraigned on a one count of theft.
He presiding judge, Mr Nuhu Ibrahim, said Lawal was guilty as charged and sentenced him to four months in prison with an option to pay N12,000 in fine.
“The accused person pleaded guilty to stealing 161 blocks from the complainant’s building site and he is hereby convicted of committing the offence.
“You have the option to pay N12, 000 in fine or face four months’ imprisonment,’’ he said.
Earlier, the police prosecutor, Cpl. Samuel Ocheche, told the court that Mr Emmanuel Dung of Nuwalege Village in Kuje reported the case at the Kuje Police Station on 14 October.
Ocheche said that Lawal, a resident of Gosa Airport Road, Abuja, went to the complainant’s building site and stole 121 building blocks valued at N20,570.
The prosecutor said that the convict, who was not represented by a counsel, sold the blocks to Mrs Mary Ajayi of the same address as Lawal.
Ocheche said that during interrogation, it was discovered that the blocks valued at N170 each, were sold to Ajayi at the rate N30 each without the consent of the complainant.
The prosecutor said that the blocks were recovered from the buyer after Lawal admitted to committing the offence.