Security guard, 2 others jailed 10 years each for stealing iron rods

An Area Court in Jos on Wednesday sentenced Japhet Shualka, 27, a security guard and two others to 10 years imprisonment each for stealing iron rods from a construction site.

Shualka is charged alonside Elisa Yakman and Sunday Ayuba.

The judge, Mr Thomas Ajitse, sentenced the convicts after they pleaded guilty to theft and begged the court for leniency.

The judge, however gave the convicts an option of N 50,000 fine each or five years imprisonment for criminal breach of trust and theft and asked them to pay N37,500 each as compensation or another five years imprisonment in default.

Earlier, the police prosecutor, Insp Daniel Namuwa told the court that on Feb. 2, a police patrol team of the Anglo Jos police station Jos, during a routine patrol intercepted a pick up vehicle with registration number BUU 975 TQ, with 20 pieces of 12 MM iron rods worth N100,000.

He said during questioning the convicts could not give a valid evidence as to how they came about the rods.

The prosecutor said further investigation, the convicts confessed to the crime.

The offence, he said, contravened the provisions of Plateau Penal Code law of Northern Nigeria.