A Gwagwalada Upper Area Court, Abuja on Tuesday sentenced two men, Samuel Danladi and Joseph Timothy, to two years imprisonment each for disposessing neighbours of their belongings.
The convicts, both resident of Anqwan dodo, Gwagwalada Abuja, were charged with criminal conspiracy and extortion.
The Judge, Sani Umar, in his ruling sentenced the convicts after they pleaded guilty and begged the court for leniency.
Umar said that the convicts were to serve a jail term of one year each for each offence without an option of fine, which would run consecutively.
He said that the court considered the application of the Prosecution Counsel Abdullahi Tanko in respect of the alarming rate of the offences in the area.
“Giving the convicts light punishment will endanger the lives of the society, so by taking them away from the society for some period of time people would have rest.
“We are sending them to correctional centre, we are hoping they would return to the society with a model behaviour, ” he said.
He said that the sentence would serve as deterrent to others planning to trade the same part, adding that they have the right of appeal to FCT High Court within 30 days if they were not satisfied with the decision of the court.
Earlier, Tanko had told the court that the complainants Elisha Edeem and Matthew Udeme of same address reported the matter at the police station on March 25.
He said that the convicts both attacked the complainants and forcefully collected their belongings which included; one hand bag, two cell phones and N20,000 cash.
He said that the convicts took the complainants to a Point of Sale (POS) stand to withdraw money for them but were arrested by members of vigilance group.
Tanko said that during investigation the cell phones and N500 were recovered from the convicts.
The prosecutor said that the offence contravened the provisions of Sections 96 and 291 of the Penal Code.
