An Area Court in Jos on Monday sentenced two friends, Michael Auta and Gabriel Sunday, to 12 months imprisonment each after they pleaded guilty to stealing clothing items valued at N488,000 from a fashion shop.
Presiding Judge Shawomi Bokkos, while delivering the judgment, gave the convicts an option of N50,000 fine each. The court also ordered them to pay N200,000 each in compensation to the complainant, Ms Gift Ernest, or face an additional 12-month jail term.
Police Prosecutor, Inspector Daniel Damulak, told the court that the theft was reported on April 17 at the B Division Police Station by Ms Ernest. According to the prosecutor, the convicts had unlawfully entered her shop and stolen clothes worth nearly half a million naira.
Damulak further stated that during investigation, both Auta and Sunday confessed to committing the crime. Their actions, he noted, contravened the Plateau State Penal Code Law of Northern Nigeria, enacted in 2017.
The case highlights the ongoing challenges of retail theft in Jos and the judicial system's approach to addressing property crimes in the state.
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