Court Jails Man For Stealing Catfish In Benin
Agency report
For stealing 10 catfish, an Evbouriaria Magistrates’ Court in Benin, Edo state, has sentenced a 22-year-old man, Sylvester Livinus, to four months in prison.
The Chief Magistrate C.E. Oghuma, however, gave the convict N5,000 option of fine, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
The prosecutor disclosed that the catfish, which belonged to one Noma Okunbor, was valued at N10, 000.
He further said the offence contravened Section 309 (9) of the Criminal Code.
Two men arraigned for stealing dogs
In a related development, the police in Abuja have arraigned two men in a Gudu Upper Area Court, for allegedly stealing three dogs.
Suleiman Shehu, 28 and Bashir Abubakar, 20, both of Kabusa village, Apo, are standing trial on three counts of joint act, criminal trespass and theft.
The police prosecutor Joshua Ayanna told the court that one Solomon Olajide, Zacharia Ibrahim and Ibrahim Aminu reported the matter at the Apo Police Station on 26 November, 2016.
Ayanna said the three men alleged that the two defendants “on different occasions, criminally trespassed into their various houses and stole the dogs.
“One of the dogs belonging to one of the complainants, Olajide, is valued at N20,000. The rest belonging to the other two are valued at N75,000 and N55,000 respectively.’’
Ayanna also stated that during police investigation, the defendants confessed to have committed the crime.
The two defendants, however, denied the allegation that they stole three dogs, but admitted to stealing only one.
The Presiding Judge, Mr. Umar Kagarko, admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N50,000 each with a reliable surety each.
The judge ordered that the sureties must reside within the jurisdiction of the court, then adjourned the case till January 17, 2017, for hearing.
