One Ayorinde Sakiru has been sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment by a Magistrates’ Court in Abeokuta for stealing a Nissan Sunny car valued at N700,000.
He was convicted on a one-count charge of stealing the vehicle.
Magistrate Mrs. O.O. Odumosu held that all evidence presented by the prosecution had proven beyond reasonable doubt that the convict was guilty of the offence as charged.
Magistrate Odumosu sentenced him to 12 months’ imprisonment or with an option of refunding N570,000 to the complainant as restitution.
Earlier, the prosecutor, ASP Olakunle Shonibare, had told the court that Sakiru committed the offence in November 2023 at Fleajour bus-stop, Rounder area in Abeokuta.
The Police prosecutor told the court that the convict stole the car belonging to one Mrs Better Bruce.
Bruce had lodged a complaint that she bought the car for commercial purposes and employed the convict to use it for a cab and made an agreement of returning proceeds daily.
“Sakiru worked with the car for some weeks and delivered only N30,000, which he held onto with the car without bringing it back.
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“When the complainant asked about her car, he claimed it was faulty and had been deposited at an auto mechanic shop for repair, which was false.
“Meanwhile, when the convict was arrested and interrogated, he made a confessional statement that he had sold the car for N350,000 without the consent of the complainant,” he said.
The prosecutor, however, noted that the offence committed contravenes section 390(9) of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun 2006.