An Area Court in Jos has sentenced two friends, Michael Auta and Gabriel Sunday, to 12 months’ imprisonment each for stealing clothes valued at ₦488,000.
Presiding Judge Mrs. Shawomi Bokkos delivered the verdict after the pair pleaded guilty. She offered them an alternative to jail by imposing a fine of ₦50,000 each. In addition, Judge Bokkos ordered both convicts to pay ₦200,000 in compensation to the complainant, Ms. Gift Ernest, within 30 days—or face an additional 12 months behind bars for default.
Police Prosecutor Inspector Daniel Damulak told the court that Ms. Ernest reported the burglary to B Division Police Station on April 17, stating that Auta and Sunday had “trespassed into her shop and stole clothes valued at ₦488,000.” During the investigation, “the accused persons confessed to have committed the offence,” Damulak added, noting that the act breached the Plateau State Penal Code Law of Northern Nigeria, 2017.
With their options laid out, Auta and Sunday now face either financial penalties or incarceration, underlining the court’s firm stance on property crimes in the state.