Court throw two men to jail for receiving stolen goods

A Jos Chief Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday sentenced two men, Azi Itsegok, and Atsen John, to 12 months in prison each for stealing four aluminium windows and a dane gun.

Itsegok, 20, and John 21, both of Lamingo, Jos East, were charged with criminal trespass, housebreaking, theft and receiving stolen property.

The Magistrate, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Mafuyai, handed down the sentence after the convicts pleaded guilty and begged for leniency.

Mafuyai did not give the convicts an option of fine and said that the sentence would serve as a deterrent to those who might want to engage in similar acts.

She also ordered that the convicts pay N40,500 to the nominal complainant as compensation for the value of the property stolen or spend additional 12 months each in prison.

The Prosecutor, Sgt. Shuaibu Mohammed told the court that Bulus Yakubu reported the matter at the Nasarawa Gwom Police Station on July 8.

Mohammed said that Itsegok went into the complainant’s house and stole four aluminium windows valued N22,500 and a dane gun valued N20,000.

He said the first accused thereafter gave the gun to John, who in turn sold it to Kelvin Arafa, now at large and shared the proceeds between themselves.

The prosecutor said that during police investigation, the accused persons made confessional statement.

He said the crime contravened the provision of sections 348, 347, 288 and 317 of the Penal Code.