A Kaduna Chief Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday convicted a 19-year-old labourer, Sani Zubairu, for stealing and was sentenced to 12 strokes of cane.
Zubairu, of Ungwan Dosa, Kaduna, pleaded guilty to a one-count of theft and begged the court to tamper justice with mercy.
In his judgment, the Magistrate, Ibrahim Emmanuel, ordered that the defendant be flogged 12 strokes of the cane for the offence.
Emmanuel said the punishment would have been stiffer if the convict had not saved the court the pains of protracted prosecution.
He, however, warned the convict to be of good behaviour and desist from crimes.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp Chidi Leo, told the court that the convict snatched a handbag belonging to one Zainab Bello, on March 22 at 8.30 p.m. at Kawo in Kaduna.
Leo stated that the snatched handbag, valued at N5,000, contained a cell phone worth N55,000, passport photographs, ATM cards of three banks, cash sum of N 11,000 and other vital items.
The prosecutor added that the complainant raised an alarm and the convict was apprehended and handed over to the police.
Leo said the defendant committed an offence which contravened section 287 of the Kaduna State penal code, 2017.
