Farmers sentenced to community service for illegal possession of army uniforms

Two farmers, Hassan Augustine, 55, and Felix Balogun, 47, have been sentenced to two weeks of community service by an Akure Magistrates’ Court. The sentence was given due to their unlawful possession of camouflage uniforms belonging to the Nigerian army.

The Magistrate, Mrs O. W Dosumu, specified that the community service should be carried out at the new court complex in Oke Eda, Akure, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. daily for the duration of the two-week period.

She held that the farmers were convicted following their guilty plea and the prosecution proving its case beyond reasonable doubt against the two farmers.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp Adeboye Adesegun, had informed the court that the convicts were caught with the uniforms at Wese Camp, Ipele in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State.

According to him, the convicts could not give a satisfactory account of how they came about the uniforms when they were arrested.

The prosecutor, who tendered the convicts’ confessional statements and the army uniforms as exhibits, asked the court to sentence the farmers accordingly.

Adesegun added that the offences contravened Sections 516 and 428 (a) and (b) of the Criminal Code Cap 33, Volume 1, Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria, 2006.