20th April, 2023
By Uche Bibilari
A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Gwagwalada, FCT on Thursday sentenced an unemployed man, Murtala Abdullahi to three years imprisonment for stealing electric wires worth N2.8 million.
The police charged Abdullahi with criminal conspiracy, trespass and theft.
Chief Magistrate Munir Sani convicted and sentenced Abdullahi following a guilty plea he entered.
Sani in his judgment gave the convict an option to pay a fine of N50,000 for each offence or in default serve a jail term of one year for each offence.
He also ordered the convict to pay compensation of N2.8 million to the nominal complainant.
Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Abdullahi Tanko told the court that Mr Adama Monday of Gwagwalada reported the matter at the Gwagwalada police station on Feb. 13.
Tanko said the convict criminally conspired with one Shehu, now at large and stole electric wires in the complainant’s house.
The prosecutor said that the offence contravened the provisions of sections 97,348 and 287 of the Penal Code.
The Defence Counsel, Mr Owobu Godday in his allocutus on behalf of the convict, told the court that Abdullahi who had no previous conviction record in Nigeria was remorseful and repentant.
“The convict is a first-time offender. He did not stress the court but pleaded guilty to the offence.
“Ordinarily, he is supposed to be in school but the social economy of the country has made him to be out of school.
“While we do not support crime, we plead with the court to give him another chance to make amends.
“We plead with the court to sentence the convict with an option to pay fine,” he said.
(NAN)