Barely a month after Mustapha Hammed finished serving a year jail term in prison for burglary, he has again been sentenced to six months imprisonment for stealing the sum of N14,500, belonging to a furniture maker, Adebayo Olusegun.
The 29-year-old ex-convict was on Wednesday arraigned before Magistrate Habitat Basiru of an Osogbo Magistrate’s court for attempted felony and stealing.
Police prosecutor, Inspector Fagboyinbo Abiodun, told the court that Hammed committed the fresh offence on April 9, 2017 at the complainant’s office at Art Deco Interior Furniture Limited, Agunlowo area in Osogbo, Osun State capital.
Abiodun explained that the ex-convict, said to be a father of two, was caught by church goers while breaking into the office, before they raised the alarm.
When Hammed was eventually dragged to the police station after some residents of the area had beaten him, the police said he had earlier been arrested for burglary, an offence that earned him a year jail term at the Ilesa Prison.
The charge sheet obtained by our correspondent in court on Wednesday read in part, “That you, Mustapha Hameed, on Sunday, April 9, at Agunbelewo area of Osogbo, in Osogbo Magisterial District did enter into the office of one Adebayo Olusegun with the intent to commit felony to wit: stealing.
“That you (Hameed), at the same time and aforementioned Magisterial District did steal the sum of fourteen thousand five hundred naira at an office named Art Deco Interior Furniture Nigeria limited, which is a property of Adebayo Olusegun.”
The prosecutor then argued that the offences were punishable under Sections 412 and 390 of the Criminal Code cap 34 vol.ll, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria 2002.
The accused person entered into guilty plea, when the two count charges on attempted felony and stealing were read to him.
Magistrate Basiru found the accused guilty of the two counts and convicted him accordingly.
Thereafter, counsel to the convict, Mr. Promise Jones, pleaded with the court to be lenient in sentencing him.
Jones told the court that Hameed was the bread winner of his family and that the family would suffer should he be jailed the second time.
Basiu, in his ruling, sentenced Hameed to three months’ imprisonment on each of the counts, but gave him an option of N10,000 fine.
Hameed could not pay the fine and he was then whisked to Ilesa Prison to serve his jail term.
