An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court on Thursday sentenced three men – Segun Adedeji, 22; Qudus Afolabi, 23, and Usman Ali, 22 – to six months’ imprisonment each, with hard labour, for stealing three phones worth N140,000.
The Magistrate, Mrs O.A. Aderibigbe, convicted the trio after they pleaded guilty to a three-count charge of conspiracy, assault and stealing.
Aderibigbe held that the convicts should serve out their terms. She did not give them an option of fine.
“You are hereby sentenced to six months’ imprisonment each with hard labour.
“The sentence would serve as a deterrent to others who might want to engage in similar acts,” she held.
Daybreak reports that the convicts pleaded guilty during arraignment on Jan. 30, and were remanded in the Kirikiri Custodian Centre.
When the case was called up on Thursday for review of the facts and sentencing, the trio still admitted guilt.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp. Mojirade Edeme, told the court that trio and some others still at large committed the offences on Jan. 13 at Agege, Lagos.
Edeme said that they stole three phones belonging to Mrs Omolara Toyosi, Ubeta Daniel and Chika Iheanacho, respectively.
“The defendants accosted the complainants on their way to work early in the morning; they beat them and threw Toyosi into a gutter.
“They demanded their phones with a threat to kill them if they would refuse to comply.
“The complainants surrendered their phones and the defendants took to their heels,” she said.
Edeme said that the complainants raised an alarm.
“Luckily, a police patrol team came around and chased the defendants.
“The defendants were arrested while their accomplices escaped with the phones,” the prosecutor said.
Edeme noted that the offences contravene Sections 287, 175 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
