BY AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
A Magistrate’s court sitting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State has sentenced a scavenger, Oduma Chibueze Elom, to one-year-imprisonment for stealing pieces of metal used for the construction of a village bridge.
Elom was said to have destroyed and stolen metals used to reinforce the bridge at Ndieguelom River in Ndieguelom Ngbo Community in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state on September 18.
The scavenger was charged with three-count of conspiracy, malicious damage and stealing in a suit marked MAB/658c/2021.
The charges against him read in parts, “That Oduma Chibueze Elom and others now at large on the 18th day of September 2021, at Ndieguelom, Ngbo in Ohaukwu Local Government Area, did conspire to commit felony to wit malicious damage/stealing and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 516A (a) of the Criminal Code, Cap 33, Volume 1, Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, 2009.
“Elom and others now at large, on the same day and place in the aforementioned magisterial district, did unlawfully and willfully destroy an iron bridge constructed across Ndieguelom River, (value yet unknown), property of Ebonyi State Government and thereby committed offence punishable under Section 451 of the Criminal Code, Cap 33, Volume 1, Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, 2009.
“Elom and others now at large, on the same day and place in the aforementioned Magisterial district, did steal pieces of iron, bolts and nuts (value yet unknown), property of Ebonyi State Government and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 390(9) of the Criminal Code, Cap 33, Volume 1, Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, 2009.”
The defendant, who had no legal representation, pleaded guilty to all the charges and prayed the court for leniency.
He told the court that the bridge was damaged by vehicles plying the road, adding that he picked the pieces of metal, which he thought were no longer useful so as to sell and make some money.
The trial Magistrate, Ifedi Nwangbo, having heard from both parties, sentenced 28-year-old Elom to one-year imprisonment with an option of N50, 000 fine.
The sentence is to run concurrently from September 20, the day he was arrested and detained.
