A Dutse Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, on Thursday, sentenced a 30-year-old Iron bender, Solomon Ejah to six months in a correctional facility for stealing iron rods worth N93, 000.
Justice Suleiman Mohammed, also sentenced Danjuma Shuaibu, 40, to nine months impresonment for buying threeof the stolen rods for N2, 300.
Mohammed sentenced the duo after they pleaded guilty to a five-count charge of breach of trust, criminal trespass, causing mischief, stealing and dishonestly receiving stolen property.
The judge, however, gave Ejah an option to pay N15, 000 as fine and Shuaibu, an option to pay N30, 000 as fine.
Mohammed expressed the hope that the sentence would serve as a deterrent to others, who might want to engage in similar crime.
The convicts both reside at Garam village, near Bwari.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Mrs Idowu Ojo, told the court that the defendants were reported at the Bwari Police Station on June 19, by one Hadiza Nuhu of JAMB Headquarters, Bwari.
Ojo said Ejah, trespassed into the complainant’s farm located along Bwari- Kaduna Road and stole 23 iron rods that were used to construct a water reservoir.
She said the defendant was caught by the farm’s security guard.
Ojo said that Ejah then sold three of the rods to Shuaibu.
She said that the offences contravened Sections 348, 312, 327, 287 and 317 of the Penal Code.
