An Upper Area Court in Zuba, Abuja, on Tuesday ordered that a trader, Awal Abubakar, be given 12 strokes of the cane for stealing four aluminum windows.Abubakar, 37, of 5th Avenue Gwarinpa, Abuja, was sentenced for criminal trespass and theft.He pleaded guilty and begged the court for leniency.The judge, Gambo Garba, said that the punishment would have been severe if he had not pleaded guilty.Garba said the guilty plea had saved the court the pains of long prosecution.
Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Mr Chinedu Ogada, told the court that the complainant, Aondofa Agilig, of plot 487 2nd Avenue Gwarinpa Estate, reported the matter at the Gwarinpa Police Station on July 31.Ogada told the court that at about 9
. 30 p.m. the convict criminally trespassed into the complainant’s compound and stole four aluminum windows.He said that the convict, who was apprehended and handed over to the police, admitted to committing the crime.Ogada added that during police investigations, the stolen aluminum windows were recovered from the convictThe prosecutor said the offence contravened the provisions of sections 348 and 288of the Penal Code. (NAN)
