ABUJA – An Abuja Upper Area Court on Thursday sentenced a 27-year-old store keeper, James Onah of Masaka, Nasarawa state, to five months imprisonment for stealing hospital equipment.
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The Presiding Officer, Mr Hassan Ishaq, said the confession made by the convict at the Asokoro Police Station, Abuja, confirmed that he committed the offence as he equally pleaded for leniency.
Ishaq said that the sentence was in line with the provisions of Section 289 of the Penal Code.
However, he granted the convict an option of N13,000 fine with six strokes of the cane.
“This should serve as lesson to anybody in the act or anyone who wants to indulge in such act,’’ the officer said.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp. Philips Akogwu, had told the court that the convict who was a store keeper at the Jelf Hospital, Asokoro, committed the offence on Jan. 14.
Akogwu said that one Simon Asemota, who works in the same hospital, reported the matter at the Asokoro police station.
He said that the convict stole C-PAP medical equipment in the hospital valued at N1.5 million from the store.
Akogwu said that the convict confessed committing the offence during police investigation, but that the item was later recovered from him (Onah). (NAN)
