Makurdi – A Makurdi Chief Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday convicted one Samuel Atagher for stealing 1,100 yam seedlings.
The Police Prosecutor, ASP. Thomas Oga, told the court that on April 3, one Uzenda Orkurga of Mbalagh, in the Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue, reported to the police that the accused stole her yam seedlings valued at N400,000 on March 27.
Oga stated that during police investigation the accused confessed to the crime.
When the case came up for mention, the accused again confessed before the court that he committed the crime and pleaded for leniency, stating that he was an orphan.
The accused also stated that he stole the yam seedlings as a means of survival, pointing out that the yam seedlings were still in his custody.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Cecilia Bakare, said that the accused had admitted that he committed the crime, adding that there was no good cause why he should not be convicted.
Bakare, therefore, invoked Section 157 of the Criminal Procedure Code to convict Atagher for the offence of theft under Section 287 of the Penal Code.
She stated that she had considered the plea of the accused and took cognizance of the fact that he was a first offender.
Bakare sentenced the accused to 12 months in prison with an option of N5,000 fine, stressing that he should also return the yam seedlings to Orkurga. (NAN)
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