Butcher bags 12 strokes of cane for stealing laptops, phones

An FCT Area Court in Lugbe, Abuja, on Wednesday convicted an 18-year-old butcher Abba Ibrahim for stealing and sentenced him to 12 strokes of cane.

Ibrahim of Kabusa Village, Abuja, had pleaded guilty to a three-count of joint act, house breaking and theft.

The accused person stole two laptops and two mobile phones, and pleaded with the court to `tamper justice with mercy’.

In his judgment, the Senior Judge, Mr Gambo Garba, ordered that the accused be flogged 12 strokes of the cane for the offence.

Garba said that the punishment would have been stiffer if the convict had not saved the court the pains of protracted prosecution.

The judge, who warned the convict to be of good behaviour and desist from crimes, discharged him and ordered that the recovered items be returned to the owner.

Prosecutor Paul Anigbo had told the court that Ndukire Okezuo and Etiaka Blessing caught the accused on Feb. 9 and handed him over to Lugbe Police Station.

Anigbo said that the accused person conspired and broke into the complainants’ house and stole two laptops, one Nokia and one Blackberry phones valued at N265, 000.

He told the court that the accused committed the offence with one Yusuf Mohammed now at large.

He said that the convict made a confessional statement, and that the offence contravened Sections 79, 349 and 287 of the Penal Code.