Driver bags 3 years imprisonment for cheating

A Magistrates’ Court in Jos on Wednesday sentenced a 32-year-old tricycle driver, Abubakar Suleiman, to three years imprisonment for breach of trust, cheating and intimidation.

The Judge, Roseline Baraje, however, gave the convict an option to pay a fine for each offence.

Baraje said that for the offence of breach of trust, the convict was to spend a year in prison or pay a fine of N8,000; for cheating, one year jail or N8,000 and another year, or a fine of N8,000 for intimidation.

Baraje said the sentences were to run concurrently.

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Earlier, the Prosecutor, Nkrufa Tali, told the court that the case was reported on May 17, at the ‘C’ Division Police Station by one Adamu Musa of Jos North Local Government Area of the state, being the complainant.

The prosecutor said the defendant, who resides on Sarki Mangu Street, Jos, was given a tricycle on hire purchase at a cost of N250,000 for commercial purpose, and to remit N10,000 every month.

“The defendant tricked the owner and collected the original document of the tricycle, saying he wanted to make a photocopy and abscond to Taraba,’’ the prosecutor said.

Tali noted that when the accused was called on his phone, he threatened to deal with the complainant and warned him never to call him again and switched off his phone.

He, however, pleaded guilty to the charge.

The prosecutor said the offence contravenes Sections 296 and 376, punishable under Sections 297, 307 and 377 of the Penal Code.