22nd November, 2011
A Jos Upper Area Court on Monday, sentenced a student of the University of Jos, Chinedu Mbanugo, 24, to three months imprisonment for buying stolen vehicle spare-parts.
The convict had confessed that he bought the items from Emmanuel Golden at the cost of N117,000
The court, however, gave Mbanugo the option of paying a fine of N1, 500.
The Judge, Malam Mustapha Hassan, said that the prosecution did an excellent job that convinced the court beyond reasonable doubt that the accused person committed the offence.
Hassan further said that the confessional statement of the accused assisted the court greatly to convict him.
“The court has relied heavily on Section 157 of the Criminal Procedure Code that stipulates quick judgment to any suspect that pleads guilty to his or her offence,†the judge said
Earlier, the Prosecutor, Mr. Gokwat Ibrahim, had told the court that the accused committed the offence on November 3.
Ibrahim further told the court that Mbanugo was arrested about 2 p.m. along Zaria Road in Jos, while trying to dispose of the stolen property to a motor spare-parts dealer.
“My Lord, the accused failed to produce the receipts of the spare-parts, which made the dealer to contact the police. “During investigations by the police, the suspect confessed that he bought the parts from one Emmanuel Golden at the cost of N117, 000.â€
The prosecutor tendered the spare-parts as exhibits and presented five witnesses before the court.
Ibrahim told the court that the accused had committed an offence contrary to section 317 of the penal code.
The accused pleaded guilty to the charge and begged the court for leniency, saying that if sentenced for a long time, it might disrupt his studies.
The judge warned him to be of good behaviour after his jail term and advised him to avoid patronising stolen goods in future.