A chief magistrates’ court in Kaduna on Wednesday sentenced 24-year-old Edward Williams to 12 strokes of the cane for stealing 12 plastic chairs worth N224,000.
Williams, a resident of Ungwan Yelwa Television in Kaduna, was convicted after he pleaded guilty to charges of criminal trespass and theft.
The chief magistrate, Ibrahim Emmanuel, passed the sentence after Williams pleaded for leniency. Emmanuel noted that the punishment would have been more severe had Williams not admitted his guilt, highlighting that his guilty plea saved the court from a prolonged trial.
Earlier, prosecutor Chidi Leo informed the court that the complainant, Sarah Nehemiah, from Sabon Tasha, Kaduna, reported the theft at the Sabon Police Station on October 29.
Leo explained that the crime occurred at around 6:00 a.m., when Williams broke into Nehemiah’s shop by entering through the ceiling and stole the 12 plastic chairs.
The prosecutor revealed that Williams was apprehended by a security guard and handed over to the police, where he confessed to the crime.
The stolen chairs were recovered during police investigations. The offence was said to violate the provisions of the Penal Code of Kaduna State, 2017.
