A Grade I Area Court Abuja on Tuesday sentenced a 30-year-old mechanic, Musa Ibrahim, to nine months imprisonment for stealing his customer’s car.

Mr Ibrahim, who resides in Jiwa village Abuja, was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to breach of trust, cheating and theft.

The judge, Sulyman Ola, however, gave Mr Ibrahim an option of N30,000 fine.

Mr Ola ordered him to return the car or pay N1.5 million as compensation to the complainant.

The judge also held that if the convict failed to pay the compensation, he would serve seven months in prison.

Mr Ola said that  the punishment would have been stiff if the convict had not saved the court the rigours of a protracted trial.

He also warned the convict to get his acts together and be a law abiding citizen.

Mr Ibrahim, had earlier pleaded guilty and begged the court for leniency.

He told the court that he sold the car to pay his children’s school fees.

The prosecution counsel, Chinedu Ogada, told the court that on June 4, the complainant Maria Itulah of 69 road Gwarinpa, reported the matter at  the Galadima Police Station.

Mr Ogada said that sometime in June 2021 the complainant gave the convict her Golf III car with N240,000 to buy a new engine and to do some body work.

He told the court that the convict collected the money and absconded with the car.

The prosecutor said that the convict dishonestly  sold the car and converted the money to his personal use but on June 4 he was arrested at Jiwa village and handed over to the police.

The prosecutor added that during police investigation, the convict made a confessional statement admitting that he sold the car for N300,000 without documents and the consent of the complainant.

Mr Ogada said all efforts made to recover the car failed and the offence contravened Sections 312, 322 and 287 of the Penal Code. 

NAN