Two men — 23-year-old Christopher Uchendu, and 26-year-old Saviour Isaac — who allegedly broke into a church in Abuja and stole items worth N105,000, were on Wednesday sentenced to one month imprisonment each.
A Karu Magistrates’ Court, which gave the verdict, said the accused were guilty as charged.
The defendants were charged for housebreaking and theft under Sections 79, 356 and 95 of the Penal Code, Laws of the Federation.
Magistrate Hafsat Abba, however, gave the defendants an option of N20,000 fine each.
Abba ordered the convicts to pay a compensation of N 55,500 to the nominal complainant, failure which it would attract an imprisonment of three months each.
Earlier, Prosecutor Mamood Ismail told the court that a man, John Ogundele of Gwagwalape, Abuja, had reported the defendants at Nyanya Police Station on September 20.
According to Mamood, the defendants broke into the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church, Nyanya and stole some items worth N105,000.
Among the items stolen are a television set, one amplifier, one stabilizer and a box containing N10,000.
Ismail said: “The defendants were apprehended following a tip-off.”
Ismail said the defendants confessed to have sold some of the items, while an empty box and an amplifier were recovered from them.
The prosecutor said the compensation to be paid to the complainant was N55,500 and urged the court to direct the police to release the recovered items to the rightful owner
