Corpun file 19123

Daily Trust, Abuja, 25 April 2007

Man, Student Flogged for Stealing

By Mary Kunle and Jimoh Sikiru

A labourer was yesterday given eight strokes of the cane on the orders of a magistrate. The man was also sentenced to thirty days in prison for stealing twenty-nine tubers of yam belonging to a market woman.

Habila Ishaya, 27, of Jabi village took the tubers when he was cleaning the premises of Utako modern market with his team. He told the court that he was tempted to steal the tubers. He was caught when a security man attached to the market nabbed him.

Police investigations said Ishaya confessed to the offence, adding that six tubers of yam were recovered from him. The seller Dorah Samuel said she reported the matter to the Utako police station when she discovered that the tubers, valued at N3, 000, were missing.

The accused pleaded guilty to the offence after the contents of the first information report were read to him. Prosecutor Amikor Obed informed the court that he was a first-time offender and prayed the court to try him summarily.

Magistrate Idayat Akaani sentenced the accused to thirty days in prison or a fine option of N1, 000.

Meanwhile, a junior secondary school student was on April 17 publicly whipped for stealing.

Abdul-Rashid Ibrahim was caned on the orders of a magistrate for stealing seven tiles from the premises of Sageto Construction Company, where he was doing a vacation job.

He was caught by the company's guard and taken to the police.

The teenager pleaded guilty to the offence during his plea last Thursday and was sentenced.

Magistrate Bashir A. Alkali said: "You have committed an offence of stealing, contrary to section 287 of the Penal Code. I will not sentence the accused person to jail because of his age. I will therefore follow the Sharia law and order that he be given twelve strokes of the cane according to section 7 of the Penal Code and the tiles taken from him."

The teenager was taken outside where a policeman administered the punishment on him.

The victim told City News that he stole the tiles to get money to pay his school fees.

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