A Jos
Chief Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday sentenced two labourers, Friday Duro, 21,
and Friday Audu, 22, to 14 months in prison for stealing a bag of rice.
The duo, who reside at
Jenta Adamu Street in Jos are facing a two-count charge of criminal trespass
and theft.
The Magistrate, Mr
Jovita Binjin, sentenced them after they pleaded guilty to the crime and
pleaded for leniency.
In their plea, they
said that hunger led them to crime.
“It was hunger that
led us to do it, we have stayed without food for days and we needed money to
buy food.
“Have mercy on us we
will not do it again,’’ they pleaded.
The magistrate in his
ruling said that the accused were sentenced to four months in prison for
trespass.
“I hereby sentence you
to four months in prison for the offence of trespass or pay a fine of N 2, 000
and 10 months in prison for the offence of theft or a fine of N 3, 000,’’ the
magistrate ruled.
He said that the sentence
was meant to serve as a deterrent to those who might want to engage in similar
acts.
Earlier, the
Prosecutor, Sgt. Thomas Amuku, told the court that one Agbat Luke, a security
man attached to the Satellite Market, Jos, arrested the accused and handed them
over to the police on Sept. 20.
Amuku said “the
accused persons trespassed into the market and broke into a shop to steal but
were apprehended’’.
He said that during
police investigation, the accused confessed to stealing a bag of rice belonging
to one Asabe Amos.
The prosecutor said
that the accused admitted selling the bag of rice to one Mrs Asabe Alechenu for
N 3, 000.
He said that the
accused went back to steal another bag of rice but luck ran out on them and
they were apprehended.
Amuku said that the
offence contravened the provisions of Sections 348 and 287 of the Penal Code.
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