Court sentences trader to five years in prison for receiving stolen property worth N2.19m

An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court has handed down a five-year prison sentence to Mohammed Abdulhamid, a 22-year-old trader residing in the Ayobo area of Lagos, for receiving stolen property worth N2.19 million.

Abdulhamid pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and receiving stolen property.

Magistrate Mrs. O. O. Fagbohun delivered the verdict, sending the convict to Kirikiri Correctional Centre without the option of a fine, emphasising that the sentence aims to deter others from similar acts.

According to Prosecutor Inspector Felicia Okwori, the crimes occurred in June 2023 at 56, Captain Davies Road, Ayobo, Lagos, where Abdulhamid received stolen property from Mohammed Awalu, a security guard for the complainant, Mrs. Omolola Idowu.

Okwori revealed that Awalu is currently serving a jail term for the same offense. The prosecutor further disclosed that Abdulhamid, along with accomplices who are still at large, stole the complainant’s property while she was away.

The prosecutor listed the stolen property to include two gates valued at N540,000, window protectors worth N870,000 and a generator worth N300,000.

She listed other stolen items as ceiling fan worth N25,000, gas cooker N375,000, and a pumping machine valued at N85,000, all totalling N2.19 million.

According to the prosecutor, the offences contravene Sections 328 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.