Man bags 10-month jail term for generator theft

A Kaduna Chief Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday sentenced a 25-year-old man, Bala Hassan, to 10 months imprisonment for conspiring and stealing a generator set worth N450,000.

The convict of Ungwan Dosa, Kaduna, pleaded guilty to the charge and begged the court for leniency.

Delivering judgement, the Magistrate, Mr. Ibrahim Emmanuel, held that the defendant was being convicted and sentenced based on his plea of guilty to the offence.

“The court having found the convict guilty of the offence, in line with his plea for mercy, a first time offender, who did not waste the time and resources of the court.

“Bala Hassan is hereby sentenced to 10 months imprisonment with an option to pay N20,000 fine,” the magistrate said.

He said the judgement would serve as a deterrent to those who would want to indulge in any criminal act.

Emmanuel, however, ordered the convict to pay a compensation of N450,000 to the complainant, Mohammed Danladi.

Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Chidi Leo, told the court that on June 23, Hassan and one other at large, conspired and stole a generator valued at N450,000 belonging to the complainant at Badarawa Kaduna.

Leo said during the police investigation, the defendant admitted to committing the offence; however, all efforts to recover the generator proved abortive.

Leo said the offences contravened Sections 302 and 217 of the Penal Code of Kaduna State, 2017.