A Lugbe Grade I Area Court in Abuja, on Thursday, sentenced a 23-year-old security guard, Peter Elisha to 16 months imprisonment for stealing three bicycles valued at N1.9 million.
Elisha, who pleaded guilty to two counts of theft, begged the court for leniency.
The Judge, Aliyu Kagarko, gave the convict an option of N60,000 fine, ordering him to pay compensation of N1.5 million to the owner of the bicycles.
The judge warned the convict to be a good citizen and desist from committing crimes.
He said the punishment would have been stiffer if the convict had not saved the court the rigours of protracted prosecution.
Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Mr Stanley Nwaforaku informed the court that the complainant, Mohammed Aliyu of Durumi Abuja reported the matter at the Durumi Police station on Dec. 23.
Nwaforaku said on Dec.17 at about 6am the convict stole three bicycles valued at N 1.9 million belonging to one Mr Jonah Izuka, who lives on 316 Francis Okoro Street in Durumi, Abuja.
The prosecutor said during a police investigation, the convict confessed and one of the said bicycles worth 400,000 was recovered from one of his friends, Ali Hassan.
He added that the offence contravened the provisions of sections 79 and 287 of the Penal Code.
