A Zuba Grade 1 Area Court on Tuesday sentenced a 28-year-old student, Muhammed Isiyaka, to 12 strokes of the cane for stealing a Nokia 302 handset.
The presiding judge, Malam Gambo Garba, sentenced the convict after he pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of theft.
Garba said he was lenient with the convict because of an upcoming examination.
He said he was sentencing him to teach him a lesson that no matter how bad a situation, it was wrong to resort to theft.
Isiyaka said that he had tried to secure loan from his course mates and colleagues all to no avail.
He said the time for the assignment was running out, so he decided to steal the handset and sold it for the actual cost of his assignment.
The Prosecutor, Insp. Haruna Danlami, had told the court that on Jan. 29, the convict stole a Nokia 302 handset valued N5, 500 property of Solomon Mathias of College of Education, Zuba, Abuja.
Danlami said that the handset was sold to one Ugo Chika of Ministers’ hill-Zuba by the convict at the rate of N2,000.
He told the court that during police investigation, Isiyaka confessed and admitted to the crime.
He said the offence contravened Section 288 of the Penal Code.