Polytechnic student jailed 2 years for stealing mobile phone

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(Nigeria) A Karu Senior Magistrate on Monday in Abuja sentenced a 25-year-old student, Musa Dirama, to two years imprisonment for stealing a Samsung Galaxy phone worth N126,000. The court, presided over by Senior Magistrate Anna Akobi, however, gave the student of Marketing at the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa an option of a N5,000 fine.
This was after the accused pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of joint act and theft, offences contrary to sections 97 and 287 of the Penal Code.
Section 287 states that ``whoever commits the offence of theft shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years or with fine or with both’’.
During the trial, the police prosecutor, Cpl. Francis Udofia, had accused Dirama and one Sanusi, currently at large, of committing the offence on April 17.
In the First Information Report (FIR) filed before the court, Udofia said that the convict snatched the phone from one Bako Yusuf on that fateful day.
He said the victim was returning home from work when he was attacked and robbed of his phone by Dirama and Sanusi at ECWA in Karu Village.
The prosecutor stated that Dirama was arrested at the scene of the attack and handed over to the police, while the second accused person managed to escape.
Dirama pleaded guilty after listening to the charges and begged the court for leniency to enable him write his examination, which he claimed was scheduled for next week.
In her ruling, the senior magistrate said: ``This is supposed to be one of the future leaders of this nation. It is a shame to have a polytechnic student stealing in the streets of Abuja.
``Did you not consider the risk before you went into committing the shameful act?
``As a deterrent and considering his plea, I will spare him the maximum punishment spelt out in the Penal Code,’’ she said.

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