Man captured on CCTV stealing recharge cards, cash, jailed 2 years

An Ojo magistrates’ court in Lagos on Tuesday sentenced a 28-year-old man, Okanchiku Nwafor, to two years in prison for stealing.

The Magistrate, Mr L. J. K. Layeni, sentenced Nwafor after he pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy, theft and unlawful possession.

Layeni sentenced the convict to one-year imprisonment on count one and two years each on counts two and three, but held that the sentences should run concurrently.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Dr Simon Uche, told the court that the defendant committed on February 20, at the Alaba International Market, Lagos, stole recharge cards worth N90,000 and N40,000 cash from one Mrs Pauline Onyekachukwu.

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He said the complainant raised alarm after she discovered the items missing and that CCTV footage showed the defendant in the act and that after seeing the footage, traders in the market mounted surveillance to fish out the culprit.

He further said, “On February 21, the defendant returned to the market but ran out of luck as he was arrested and taken to the Ojo Police Station.

“On investigation, the defendant revealed that he had other stolen items including one Zenith Bank debit card, one Opay debit card, an international passport and a Prime Alliance Hospital card; all belonging to one Aminu Naziru Musa

The prosecutor also tendered in evidence the statement of the defendant, as well as that of the nominal complainant, both dated February 21. (NAN)