Teenager gets 12 strokes of cane for stealing phones

A Kaduna Chief Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday ordered that a teenager, Haruna Usman, be given 12 strokes of cane for stealing three phones worth N435,000.

The Magistrate, Ibrahim Emmanuel, warned him to desist from committing crimes and be of good behaviour henceforth.

Emmanuel said that the light punishment was because Usman saved the court from a prolonged trial, but hoped that it would serve as a deterrent to others.
The convict pleaded guilty to criminal trespass and theft and begged the court for leniency, promising to be of good behaviour.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp Chidi Leo, told the court that Usman committed the offences on July 10 at 5 p.m.

According to him, Usman broke into the house of one Danladi Abubakar when he went out and stole three phones valued at N450,000.

Leo stated that Usman was arrested by the police at his residence after one of the phones was tracked.

He added that during his arrest, the phones and two laptops which he could not admit ownership to, were recovered from him.

The prosecutor said that the offences contravened the provisions of sections 321 and 217 of the Penal Code of Kaduna State, 2017.