Court jails 21-year-old for stealing tear-gas canister from Abuja police station

A Dei-Dei grade one area court sitting in Abuja has sentenced Joshua Geoffrey, a 21-year-old man, to three years imprisonment for theft.

Geoffrey, identified as a resident of Kubwa, Abuja, was charged with criminal charm and theft.

The convict had earlier pleaded guilty and begged the court for leniency, while weeping.

“I am so sorry, sir. Please, don’t send me to prison, because I don’t have any relative here in Abuja. Please forgive me. I will not commit any offence again,” he said.

However, Sulyman Ola, the area court judge, in his ruling, sentenced Geoffrey without an option of fine.

Ola said the convict is not a first-time offender, and had been arraigned in the court for a different offence.

He, however, warned the convict to be of good behaviour and desist from committing crime after serving his jail term, adding that the punishment would have been stiffer if the convict had not saved the court the rigour of lengthy prosecution.

Earlier, Chinedu Ogada, the prosecution counsel, told the court that the convict was in custody at the Byazhin police station in connection to a case of mischief and phone theft, when the incident occurred.

Ogada said a police officer brought out the convict, and while cleaning the cell and crime office, Geoffrey used that opportunity to break cardboard boxes belonging to two police inspectors, and stole a tear-gas canister, phone, N5,000 cash, and a pistol.

The prosecutor said the items the convict stole were worth N73,500, adding that Geoffrey was later tracked down and re-arrested by the police.

He said during police interrogation, the convict confessed that he used the pistol to threaten people, adding that during police investigation, some charms were recovered from the convict.

The prosecution counsel added that the offence contravened the provisions of sections 217 and 287 of the Penal Code.