Justice

A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Mararaba, Nasarawa State, on Friday sentenced a labourer, Ali Ilyasu, to six months imprisonment for stealing a sheep.

The Chief Magistrate, Vincent Gwehemba, sentenced Ilyasu as he admitted committing the offence.

Gwehemba, however, gave the labourer, 37, an option of N5, 000 fine.

He admonished the convict never to engage in such an act in the future.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ilyasu, who resides at Angwan Gwariin, Mararaba, was arraigned on a count charge of theft.

The prosecutor, Mr Samuel Okoro, had told the court that the convict went to a cattle market in Mararaba on Wednesday with a sheep to sell.

“When he was interrogated, he could not give a satisfactory account of how he came about the said sheep,” he said.

The prosecutor added that during police investigation, the convict claimed the sheep was given to him by a man he could not identify.

According to Okoro, the offence contravened Sections 288 of the Penal Code.

(NAN)