Nawao! Man who steals Sallah ram in Osogbo bags two years jail term (see details)

A 26-year-old man, Adebayo Afeez has been sentenced to two years imprisonment by a Magistrate’s Court sitting in Osogbo, capital of Osun state for stealing Sallah ram.

Afeez, a carpenter was arraigned on a two count charge of unlawful house breaking and theft of a ram.

The offence were said to be contrary to section 383 and punishable under section 390(b) of the criminal code Cap 34 vol II Laws of Osun State of Nigeria 2003. He entered into a guilty plea to the two counts when he was arraigned on Monday by the Police.

Giving the fact of the matter, the prosecutor, Inspector Olayiwola Rasaq said the offence was committed around 5am on the 2nd of August but the police received the information around 6pm on the same day when the complainant, Awawu Aminu came to report that some thieves broke into her house and stole her ram.

He further told the court that information was received that the ram was spotted in Ifon Osun.

Rasaq said that the Investigation Police Officer, Sargent Alashi John went to Ifon Osun in company of other policemen and arrested Afeez alongside a woman, Wasilatu Olayinka who intended to buy the ram from him.

The Police arrested Afeez and Olayinka and recovered the ram. Olayinka was later released because she never knew that the ram she was going to buy was stolen. The convict admitted all the facts given by the prosecutor saying “they are true.”

However, the presiding Chief Magistrate Risikat Olayemi said the prosecution has proved the two count charges beyond reasonable doubt and convicted the accused person accordingly.

The convict who had no legal representation however pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy. But Afeez had confessed to the Police that he had been in the habit of stealing Sallah ram and reselling it.

He said he had wanted to sell the last ram he stole at the rate of N75,000 before luck ran out on him. Considering that Afeez is a first offender and a young man, Olayemi sentenced the convict to a year jail term for each of the charges with an option of N10,000 fine for the two counts. Before our correspondent left the court premises at about 1:30pm, the convict as yet to pay the fine.

He was shedding tears and telephone calls he made to some relations couldn’t yield any positive intervention for him. The ram which was brought to court was later handed over to the owner.

Source: OsunDigital