Trader jailed two years for stealing phones in Abuja

The Lugbe Grade I Area Court in Abuja on Monday sentenced a trader, Hosia David, to two years imprisonment for stealing three cell phones.

He was arraigned by the police on a two-count charge of house-breaking and theft.

The prosecution counsel, Mr. Stanley Nwaforaku, told the court that the complainant, Mr. Yusuf Bukar of Area I Abuja caught the convict with the stolen cellphones and took him to Durumi Police Station on September 8.

He said the defendant broke into the complainant’s house and stole two Nokia phones worth N 18,000, an Infinix Hot 13 phone worth N 150,000, a power bank, and an MP3 player.

Nwaforaku added that the convict used the complainant’s SIM card to collect a N120,000 loan and also borrowed a recharge card of N 20,000.

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“During police interrogation and investigation, the defendant confessed to the crime,” the prosecutor added.

The offences, according to him, contravened the provisions of sections 347 and 287 of the Penal Code.

The convict pleaded guilty to the charges but begged for leniency.

In his ruling, the magistrate, Mr. Aliyu Kagarko, sentenced the defendant to two years imprisonment on the charges.

He, however, gave the convict an option of a N50,000 fine and warned him to stay away from crimes.

The magistrate also ordered David to pay a compensation of N600,000 to the complainants.

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