A Kaduna Chief Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, sentenced a 28-year-old man, Ifeanyi Eze, to 13 months imprisonment for conspiracy, burgling a shop and stealing ladies’ shoes worth ₦650,000.
The defendant, a resident of Malali, Kaduna, who pleaded guilty to the three-count charge of conspiracy, burglary and theft, begged the judge for mercy.
The Magistrate, Mr Ibrahim Emmanuel, sentenced Eze to 13 months imprisonment, with an option of ₦30,000 fine. Emmanuel said the punishment would serve as a lesson to anybody, who would indulge in such an act.
He also ordered the accused to pay compensation of ₦650,000 to the complainant, Rosemary Caleb, and ₦20,000 as expenses incurred during the prosecution. The magistrate directed that the money be paid within two weeks and held that in default of payment, the accused would spend an additional 8 months in prison.
Earlier, the Prosecutor, Insp Leo Chidi, told the court that the defendant committed the offences sometime in December 2024 at about 2:00 am. According to him, the convict and others at large burgled the shop of the complainant at Ungwan Sarki Kaduna and stole the shoes.
He said the convict was caught in the act by some policemen on patrol, while others ran away with the stolen shoes. Leo said the offences contravened the Penal Code of Kaduna State, 2017.
