A 22-year-old man, Atofeyinti Gafar, has been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for stealing valuables worth about N1.7 million from a church and a mosque in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Gafar was convicted by an Abeokuta Magistrates’ Court sitting in Isabo after pleading guilty to a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, burglary and stealing.
The case involved two separate incidents in the Itoko area of Abeokuta, where the defendant allegedly broke into places of worship and carted away equipment and household items.
According to the prosecutor, Inspector Opeyemi Lawal, the first incident occurred in May when Gafar unlawfully entered the premises of C & S Orisun Ibukun Goshen Church with the intention of stealing.
Items reportedly taken from the church included an amplifier engine valued at N350,000, a 6-by-6 foam worth N250,000, two speakers valued at N200,000, a stove and cooking utensils worth N170,000, two bells valued at N40,000 and electrical wires worth N50,000.
Lawal further told the court that on October 18, the defendant allegedly broke into the premises of Allahu Rahamon Islamic Society, where he stole an amplifier engine valued at N450,000 and four speakers worth N250,000.
The prosecutor said the total value of the stolen property from both religious institutions was estimated at N1.7 million. He added that the defendant was apprehended by local vigilante officers, leading to his arrest.
The offences were said to be punishable under Sections 390(9) and 412 of the Criminal Code, Volume 1, Laws of Ogun State, 2006.
Delivering her judgment on Tuesday, Magistrate O.T. Odubanjo convicted Gafar after he admitted to the charges.
She sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment for conspiracy and stealing, with no option of a fine. The court, however, ordered that the sentences run concurrently.
The conviction brings the case involving the theft of property from the two religious institutions to a close at the magistrates’ court.