Illustrarion of man behind bar
By Akeem Atoyebi
A Magistrates’ Court in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, Thursday sentenced a 40-year-old man, Cletus Gandu, to nine months imprisonment for stealing two tubers of yam.
The convict admitted that he stole the tubers of yam because he was hungry and begged for leniency.
In his ruling, Magistrate Michael Bawa sentenced the defendant to three months for criminal trespass and nine months for theft. The sentences are to run concurrently.
Mr Bawa, however, gave the defendant a fine option of N50,000.
The convict was charged by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) with criminal trespass and theft, contrary to section 327 and 270 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law. The NSCDC prosecutor, Marcus Audu, told the court that the complainant, Alice Daniel, reported the matter at the Corps’ office in Kafanchan on July 15.
Mr Audu explained that the convict stole the yam tubers from the complainant’s farm in Zonkwa on two separate occasions.
According to him, the convict confessed to the crime during the investigation.
