Scavenger Bags One Year Jail Term Over Cooking Pots Theft

A 38-year-old man, Saheed Adisa was on Friday sentenced to one-year imprisonment by a Magistrate Court in Isabo, Abeokuta for stealing cooking pots.

The defendant, who resides at No 25 Yemidire Street, Sabo area of Abeokuta, pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge of stealing.

The magistrate, V.B Williams, noted that the prosecution counsel had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt, adding that the convict was guilty as charged.

However, she sentenced Mr Adisa to one year in prison for the first and second counts, respectively, without the option of a fine.

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She added that the sentence should run concurrently.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp. Lawrence Olu-Balogun told the court that the defendant committed the offence on May 30 at about 4:30 p.m. at Japo Oke-Odo in the Adigbe area of Abeokuta.

Mr Olu-Balogun explained that the convict, who is a scavenger, entered the compound of two people and stole their pots.

He said the defendant entered Shakirudeen Durowoju’s compound and gained entrance through the window where the pots were kept.

He added that the convict stole the aluminium pots worth N35,000.

“The convict also entered into the house of one Mr Femi Adesoji and stole one cooking pot worth N10,000.

“He was caught by one of the complainants, Durowoju, who saw the convict around his compound and asked him what he was looking for, but he could not give a satisfactory answer, which made him search the convict sack he was holding.

“On Opening the sack, the complainant Durowoju found his pots in the sack and other pots which he later confessed he stole the pots from different houses,” he said.

The prosecutor, however, said the offence contravened section 390 (9) of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun 2006.