The Chief Magistrate Court I sitting in Yola, Adamawa State has convicted and sentenced eight persons to 10 years imprisonment each, for stealing telecommunications cables belonging to the Yola International Airport.
Chief Magistrate Mohammed Njidda convicted and sentenced the convicts over allegations bordering on criminal conspiracy, criminal trespass, mischief, theft and dishonestly receiving stolen property.
The convicts include Tamakai Augustine, 19; Remember Markus, 22; Junior Livinus, 22; Salvation Bosom, 18; Sunday Bulus, 18; Geoffrey Karuni, 18; Salvation Amos and Jude Anthony.
Magistrate Njidda sentenced each of them to 7 years in prison with an option of N250,000 fine for the offence of mischief in relation to the telecommunication cables vandalism.
Also, the convicts bagged 2 years prison term each without option of fine for theft, 1 year imprisonment each or N25,000 option of fine for criminal conspiracy and 6 months each behind bars or option of N25,000 for criminal trespass.
The court also ordered all the convicts to pay the sum of N4.033million each, amounting to N32,279 million compensation as the amount of the ground cables 1920m carted away from Cast Wing 1860 Airfield Edge Light Circuit Cable of the airport.
While all the convicts pleaded guilty to the offences in court, the 7th defendant known as Augustine Stephen who is 45 years pleaded not guilty and his matter has been reserved for ruling.
Also, the 4th and 12th defendants, Suleiman Ibrahim and Yusuf Adamu are currently at large.
Arraigning the convicts earlier, the Prosecutor, Inspector S. S. Nicholas, informed the court that the convicts and the defendants at large had perpetrated the crime on the 23rd July, 2024.
He said that the convicts and the defendants, all residents of Bachure in Yola North local government area, conspired and trespassed into the airport where they vandalised the cables and sold 9kg of copper wire to Suleiman Ibrahim at the sum of N81,000.
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