On Friday, a magistrates’ court located in Isabo, Abeokuta, Ogun State, handed down a sentence to a mother named Falitatu Amidu and her daughter, Ayisatu, for the theft of a large sack filled with stock fish, dry ponmo, and dry cow meat worth N1million, which belonged to a certain Mrs Kafayat Alao.
The accused, who live at No 21 Ago-oko area in Abeokuta, Ogun, were found guilty on a two-count charge involving conspiracy and stealing.
The police prosecutor, Insp Kehinde Fawunmi, informed the court that the defendants carried out the crime sometime during the month of Aug. 2024 at Lafenwa market.
Fawunmi elaborated that Falilatu Amidu, used to assist the complainant by carrying loads from her store in Lafenwa to the location where the complainant sold her goods.
“The complainant requested her assistance to retrieve items from the store, she waited for more than an hour and did not see the defendant, prompting her to visit the store to investigate,” he said.
“Upon arriving at the store, she could not locate Falilatu, and she observed that a large bag containing dried meat, ponmo, and stock fish had disappeared, and the defendant was nowhere to be seen.”
Fawunmi further clarified that Falilatu took the goods and passed them to her daughter (Ayisatu) to sell.
He stated that Ayisatu accepted the stolen items from her mother, fully aware that the goods had been stolen.
The prosecutor, nonetheless, pointed out that the offense committed went against sections 516, 390(9), and 127 of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun 2006.
While giving her ruling on Friday, the Magistrate of Abeokuta Magistrates’ Court in Isabo, Mrs O.O Odumosu, determined that all evidence submitted by the prosecution had established beyond reasonable doubt that the convicts were culpable of the offense as charged.
Odumosun, nevertheless, sentenced both the mother and daughter to six months each in prison with an alternative of a N5,000 fine.
She mandated that the convicts must repay N100,000 each to the complainant as compensation before they could benefit from the N5,000 fine provided.
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli