Two middle-aged men were given three years in prison by a Chief Magistrate Court in Ondo town, the seat of the Ondo West Local Government, for stealing school supplies worth N155,000 in Ondo State.
Prior to the Court’s verdict, the defendants, Emmanuel Akinde, 22, and Abdulateef Magaji, 30, were charged with conspiracy and theft on three counts.
Sections 516, 413(1), and 356(2) of the Criminal Code, Cap. 37, Volume 1, Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria 2006, were allegedly broken by the pair.
The crime, according to police prosecutor Benard Olagbayi, was committed at Rheo Kiddies School in the State’s Sabo Market Area.
According to Olagbayi, “On May 21, 2023, at Abdulateef Magaji and Emmanuel Akinde planned to commit the felony of entering and stealing at around 11:30 a.m. in the Sabo market area of Ondo, in the Ondo Magisterial District.
Abdulateef Magaji and Emmanuel Akinde illegally scaled the fence of Rheo Kiddies School on May 22, 2023, at around 3 a.m., in Sabo, Ondo, in the same Magisterial district, and committed a felony on the school grounds.
They broke into the Rheo Kiddies school’s store on the same day, at the same time, and in the same place in the aforementioned Magisterial district, stealing a number of things, including a wheelbarrow worth N20,000, an electrocardiogram machine (egg machine) worth N80,000, a head pan worth N5,000, a corner iron worth N20,000, four window nets with frames worth N20,000, as well as a number of other items.
a number of electrical and mesh wire items worth N1,000.
The prosecutor requested that the court sentence the convicts in accordance with their plea as they entered guilty pleas to the charges brought against them.
The defendants were later found guilty and given three years in prison by Chief Magistrate Charity Adeyanju.
However, Magistrate Adeyanju offered the defendants the choice of a N200,000 fine per person.
