Neighbourhood security guard jailed for a year for burgling shop

NAN

An Ijede Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ikorodu, near Lagos on Thursday sentenced a neighborhood security guard, John Jacob, to 12 months imprisonment for burgling a provision store.

Jacob, 26, whose address was not given, was arraigned on a two-count charge of burglary and attempted theft.

The convict, however, pleaded guilty to the charges.

But Chief Magistrate, Mrs A. Oshodi-Makanju found him guilty on the count of burglary and sentenced him to one year imprisonment and acquitted him on the charge of attempted theft.

The magistrate ruled that the convict would serve the term of his imprisonment with hard labour.

“He is acquitted on the charge of attempted theft for the inability of the prosecution to prove that the accused stole anything.

“You are hereby sentenced to one year imprisonment on count one and because the prosecution was unable to prove that you stole anything you are acquitted on the second charge,’’she ruled.

Earlier, the Prosecutor, Insp. Isaac Aminu, had told the court that the accused committed the offences on June 7, at about 3:00 a.m. at Agura Community in Ikorodu.

He said that the accused, who works as a security guard in that neighborhood, climbed a ladder and broke into the shop, belonging to one Sherifat Sadiku.

He alleged that that the complainant whose residence was at the back of the shop heard noises coming from inside her shop and raised an alarm.

“Sadiku then opened her shop with the help of other neighbours, who found the accused hiding with a machete he had used in breaking the roof.

“Jacob tried to escape but was apprehended and he admitted his guilt, saying that he wanted to steal provisions,” he told the court.

The prosecutor also told court that the offences contravened Sections 307 (2) and 406 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.