Court sentences three youths to 17 years for robbing man of N60, 000

• Orders teenager to sweep premises for smoking Indian hemp

The Bauchi State High Court has sentenced three youths to serve 17 imprisonment for robbery committed in 2018. The convicts, together with one Ruwa Abdullahi, now at large, were said to have attacked one Abdullahi Ahmodu with matches and sticks and robbed him of the sum of N60,000 and thereby committed an act punishable under section 1 (1) a and b of the Robbery and Fire Arms (special provisions Act Cap R11, LFN 2004, as applicable to Bauchi State.

One Muazu Ya’u, Adamu Abdullahi, Awalu Babayo of Gertogel Village in Bauchi local government area were charged in September 2018 for armed robbery and thereby committed an act contrary to section 96 and punishable under 97 of the Penal Code of Bauchi; Vol 1 of 2006, the prosecuting counsel, M.M. Adamu argued.

In a judgment delivered on Tuesday, Justice Muazu Abubakar sentenced them to two years imprisonment for the first count charge each, while they are to serve 15 years imprisonment each for the second count charge –all without option of fine.

While reacting to the judgment, counsel to the defendants, Yakubu Maikasuwa, expressed his discomfort and said that an appeal would be filed.

Maikasuwa said: “Three things should have made the judgment go the way of my clients; witness who could testify, proven evidence and confessional statement written at the Police Station. On this case, the court relied solely on the confessional statements made by the accused persons at the police station.”

MEANWHILE, a 19-year-old resident of Ile-Ife, Osun State, Peter Igwe, has been sentenced to five-days community service by a Magistrate Court for smoking Indian hemp.

Magistrate A.A. Ayeni of Ile-Ife court, while delivering judgment on the case of unlawful smoking of Indian hemp brought before the court, ordered that the boy should report to the court daily to sweep and clean the premises.

According to Ayeni, the punishment was mild because he considered the age of the convict and the fact that Igwe has no criminal record. The magistrate believed that the convict could be useful in the society in the nearest future.

The police prosecutor, ASP Emmanuel Abdullahi, had informed the court how the convict committed the offence on January 17, 2022 around 3 a.m. at Temitope Quarters, Ita-Osa Area, Ile-Ife.

Abdullahi said the teenager conducted himself in a manner that may likely cause mayhem when he engaged himself in smoking of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp in the area.

He added that Igwe was in possession of other wrapped Indian hemp aside the one he was caught smoking, adding that he could not give satisfactory account of how he came about the weeds.

The prosecutor said the offence contravened sections 249(d) and 430 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Vol II, Laws of Osun, 2002.

Igwe had pleaded guilty to the offence, but entered into a ‘not guilty plea’ for the allegation of unlawful possession of Indian hemp.

Ayeni therefore, discharged and acquitted the young boy on the count of possession of weeds and convicted him for smoking.