Student, 17, jailed 16 months for burglary and theft

A Jos Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday sentenced a 17-year-old student, Joel Ifeanyi, to 16 months imprisonment for burglary and theft of items worth N788,000.

The Magistrate, Mrs. Helen Danboyi, handed down the sentence after the accused, who was charged with criminal conspiracy and theft, pleaded guilty and begged for leniency.

Ifeanyi, a resident of Jenta Adamu, Jos while pleading for mercy, told the court that he acted under the influence of alcohol.

“I was drunk and fell into the devil’s temptation; please have mercy on me,” he pleaded.

Ifeanyi was, however, given an option of N7,000 fine for both offences, in addition to producing the stolen items.

“Where he fails to produce the stolen items, he should spend four years in prison,” the magistrate declared.

The prosecutor, Mr Samuel Chirkwalp, had told the court that one Sidi Danjuma of Utan GRA in Jos, reported the case at the Anglo Jos Police Station on January 2.

Chirkwalp quoted the complainant as saying that he returned to his house on the said date and discovered that his house had been broken into, through the back window.

He listed items taken away to include two televisions valued at N250,000, two laptops valued N27,000, one Ipad valued at N150,000 and three pairs of shoes worth N35,000.

Other items included two designers perfumes valued at N30,000, a mobile phone valued at N5,000 and four bottles of wine valued at N8,000.

Chirkwalp said that during police investigation, the accused confessed to have conspired with one Ekeri, now at large, to commit the said offence, contrary to sections 27 and 288 of the Penal Code.