A Senior Magistrate Court at Auta Balefi in Karu local government area of Nasarawa State has sentenced one Egbunu Arome to two years imprisonment on three-count charges of house trespass, house breaking and theft.
Delivering the judgment Monday at Auta Baleli, the trial Magistrate, Mr Theophilous T. Lama, said the convict was guilty of the offences as charged, as the offences contravened sections 287, 348 and 349 of the penal court.
Lama said the convict would serve a jail term of one year for theft and six months each for house trespass and house breaking, which will be served consecutively without an option of fine.
The Senior Magistrate also asked the convict to pay the sum of N326,700 to the complainant as compensation for the items and monies stolen.
The convict was said to have carted away two laptops worth N75,000 and N95,000 respectively, three cell phones which amounted to N55,000, N28,000 and N5,000 respectively as well as cash amounted to N68,700 which makes a total of N326,700.
Earlier, the Counsel to the convict had pleaded for leniency and asked the court to temper justice with mercy, considering the age of the convict and for the fact that it was his first time in the act.
However, the magistrate gave deaf ears to the plea saying that given the prevalent crime rate in the area, this would serve as deterrent to the convict and others with tendencies of committing similar crimes.
Reacting to the judgement, the police prosecutor, Corporal Yakubu Danladi, said the judgment was excellent and an indication that the judiciary was indeed independent and the hope of the poor.
He assured the public that the police would not relent in its effort in investigating and combating crime to the bearest minimum.
“It is a wonderful, excellent and credible judgment, indeed the judiciary is independent and the hope of the poor man,” Danladi said.
On his own part, the Counsel to the convict Mr N.I. Sani, while describing the judgement as a miscarriage of Justice, said his client would file for an appeal immediately.
“This is a miscarriage of Justice against evidences and we are going to file an appeal at the High Court straight away and I believe the judgement will be upturned in our favour,” Sani said.
Egbunu Arome had on 22nd and 25th April, 2016 invaded the apartment of one Mohammed Saidu at Tudun Wada Village, in Karu local government area of the State, about 28 km away from the F.C.T. Abuja along Abuja-Keffi expressway and committed the said crime against the complainant.
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