In Lugbe Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, Abdulrahman Abubakar and Yunusa Umar, both 18, faced a surprising sentence of nine months each for swiping a police officer’s mobile.
The plea for mercy from the young laborers residing in Aya, Abuja, fell on Judge Aliyu Kagarko’s ears, who offered them an alternative—a hefty N30,000 fine each.
While cautioning them against a life of crime, Kagarko levied an additional N7,000 compensation order to be paid to the phone’s rightful owner.
The court action stemmed from an incident on Dec. 28, when Sgt. Sidi Ibrahim nabbed the culprits, bringing them to the Asokoro Police Station. The teens, along with an accomplice at large, had pilfered the phone at 7:30 p.m. that same day.
Prosecutor Stanley Nwaforaku highlighted the teens’ inability to provide a satisfactory account during police questioning, resulting in charges under Sections 79 and 287 of the Penal Code.
