Three men get 17-year jail terms for stealing N60, 000

Bauchi State High Court 5 has sentenced three young men to serve 17 years in prison for a robbery committed in 2018.

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 the second charge, the convicts, together with one Ruwa Abdullahi, now at large, “attacked one Abdullahi Ahmodu with matches and sticks, to which he became unconscious, after which you robbed 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,” the charges read.

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

While reacting to the judgement, counsel to the defendant, Yakubu Maikasuwa, expressed his discomfort about his clients, he hinted that an appeal would be filed and hoped that the young lads may be favoured.

“We are not happy that criminal acts are on the increase,” he added.

Maikasuwa said three things that make the judgement go the way of his clients, “they are a witness who could testify, proven evidence and a 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),” he said.