Date Published: 09/08/11

Labourer, tailor bag 2-year jail term for vandalizing Nitel Cable

 A Minna Magistrates' Court  on Wednesday sentenced one Dahiru Usman, a labourer and Abdurazak Suleiman, a tailor, to a two-year jail term each, for vandalising NITEL cable in Minna.

The court also gave Usman, 19 and Suleiman, 20 an option to pay N120,000 each or serve their jail terms.

The convicts reside off  David Mark road in Minna. The Prosecuting Police Officer, Cpl Emmanuel Bassa, had told the court that on Aug. 29, one Mohammed Usman, a security guard attached to NITEL headquarters in Minna, brought the suspects to the police station.

According to the prosecutor, Usman reported to the police that the suspects committed the act when he resumed at his duty post same date.

Bassa, however, told the court that the value of the cable had yet to be determined by the NITEL authorities. He further told the court that the suspects were being charged with joint act, mischief and theft contrary to sections 78, 327 and 288 of the penal code law.

The suspects pleaded guilty before the court and the prosecutor prayed the court to try them summarily since they admitted to committing the act.

The Magistrate, Alhaji Hassan Mohammed, then sentenced them saying that, due to their plea for leniency and ages, the court was lenient on them.

He sentenced them to two-year jail terms each, saying, the jail terms would run concurrently or they should pay a fine of N40,000 each on each of the three count charges.

(NAN)