A Jos Upper Area Court on Wednesday sentenced a 25-year- old man, Emmanuel Ochene, to three months imprisonment for stealing a travelling bag.
Ochene was convicted for stealing a traveling bag valued at N50,000 belonging to one Mr James Okoro.
The court, however, gave the convict an option of N3, 000 fine.
?The Trial Judge, Malam Mustapha Hassan, while delivering judgement on the matter, said that the prosecutor had done an excellent job that convinced the court that the accused had committed the offence.
He said that the confessional statement of the accused also assisted the court to convict him.
The judge said that the court also relied heavily on Section 157 (1) of the Penal Code, that stipulated quick punishment on anybody that pleaded guilty to his or her offence.
Earlier, the Police Prosecutor, Mr Ado Ali, had told the court that the accused committed the offence on Feb. 16, at about 6 p.m. at Gada Biyu area of Jos.
Ali told the court that the manager of `Young Shall Grow Transport Company,’ Mr Tony Eze, reported to?the?A Division police station that the accused entered their motor park and picked a bag that did not belong to him.
According to the prosecutor, the accused pretended to be one of the passengers of a ?vehicle that just arrived from the South-East and stole the bag.
“But luck, however, ran against him as the owner of the bag sighted him with the bag and raised an alarm leading to the arrest.
“The accused was caught red-handed while in possession of the stolen bag,’’ he told the court.
When the case came up, the accused pleaded guilty to the charges, saying that it was unemployment that pushed him into stealing.
The judge warned him to be of good behaviour after his jail term, and vowed never to be lenient to him if he appeared before?him?in future over a similar offence.