A Dei-Dei Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja on Tuesday sentenced a 22-year-old Labourer, Shemsu Bala to nine months imprisonment for stealing iron rods.

Bala of Dei-Dei Abuja, pleaded guilty to three-count charge of criminal trespass, mischief and theft and begged the court for leniency.

The Judge, Sulyman Ola, however, gave the convict an option of N30,000 fine.

Ola ordered the convict to pay N150,000 as compensation to the complainant and warned him to desist from committing crime.

Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Mr Chinedu Ogada told the court that the complainant Saminu Sani of Dutse Alhaji Abuja reported the matter at the Zuba  Police Station on July 27.

Ogada said that on the same date at about 5: a.m, the convict criminally trespassed into the complainant’s site under construction at Dei-Dei without his consent

He said the convict intentionally destroyed the complainant’s lintels worth N150,000 and stole all the iron rods he used in building the iintels.

The prosecutor said that the convict was caught and handed over to the Police for proper investigation

He said that during police investigation, the convict  could not give a satisfactory account of his actions.

He said the iron rods were recovered from the convict and the offence contravened Sections 348, 327 and 288 of the Penal Code. (NAN) 

A.I