Court sentences 2 men to three years imprisonment for theft and assault in Abuja

Credit: NAN

A Magistrates’ Court in Kubwa, Abuja, has sentenced two men–Mizabilu Magaji and Abubakar Bala to three years imprisonment for theft and joint criminal conduct.

Presiding Magistrate Nneka Lesley ordered that the sentences run concurrently and cautioned the convicts against engaging in further criminal activity.

Magaji and Bala pleaded guilty to charges of joint act, extortion, theft, and causing bodily harm, and pleaded for leniency.

Earlier, the prosecution counsel, John Okpa, informed the court that the complainant, Jennifer Odeh, reported the incident at the Dutse Alhaji Police Station on March 5.

Okpa said the defendants, who worked as estate security guards, pretended to assist the complainant and her brother but instead assaulted them and forcefully took an iPhone 11 Pro.

He added that the complainant sustained an injury to her palm during the attack and raised an alarm, which led to the arrest of the suspects by vigilantes at the scene.

The stolen phone was subsequently recovered in their possession.

The offences, Okpa noted, contravene Sections 79, 292, 290, and 246 of the Penal Code.