A Dei-Dei Grade 1 Area Court in Shagari Quarters, Abuja on Thursday sentenced a 34-year-old baker, Usman Surajo, to five months imprisonment for stealing N18,000 from his employer.
Surajo of Adesoji street Works and Housing Estate, Abuja, was sentenced on two counts charge of criminal breach of trust and theft.
The Area Court judge, Malam Suleyman Ola, however, gave Surajo an option of N25,000 fine.
Ola ordered the convict to pay N48,000 in damages to the complainant or serve one-month imprisonment in lieu of the compensation and warned him to be of good behaviour.
Surajo had earlier pleaded guilty and begged the court for leniency.
The prosecutor, Mr Chinedu Ogada had told the court that on Oct, 1, the complainant, Mohammed Abdullahi of 3rd gate Gwarinpa Abuja, reported the matter at Gwarinpa Police Station.
Ogada said that on Sept. 29, the complainant gave the convict N18, 000 to pay some company staff but he converted the money to his personal use without the consent of the owner.
He told the court that the convict also dishonestly stole the company’s diesel worth N30,000 thereby causing the complainant wrongful loss.
The prosecutor added that during police investigation, the convict confessed that the complainant gave him N18,000 to pay his staff.
Ogada said the convict claimed that some boys accosted him on his way and started beating him for no reason and took the money.
He told the court that the convict denied the allegation of stealing diesel during interrogation and all efforts made to recover the money failed.
He said the offence contravened Section 322 of the Penal Code.
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