Court jails man three years for stealing N52,100

An Oredo Magistrate's Court, Benin, Edo State, has sentenced a 42-year-old man, Aigbedo Edebiri, to three years imprisonment for stealing N52,100, belonging to one Mrs. Eunice Obahudu.

Edebiri was charged for three counts of
conspiracy to commit felony, unlawfully causing grievous harm and stealing.
The accused was alleged to have broken one of Obahudu's teeth.
The prosecutor, Samuel Ogah, had said the
offence, which was committed on January 31, at Third East Circular, Road, Benin, contravened Sections 516, 335, and 390 of the Criminal Code.

The accused person, who pleaded not guilty,
denied the charges and had challenged the
prosecution to prove its case.
The prosecution called six witnesses and tendered some exhibits, while the accused called a witness.
Obahudu said the N52, 100, was compensation in respect of crops destroyed by the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, in the course of its National Independent Power Project.

She explained that as soon as she collected the money at a bank along Murtala Mohammed Way, Benin, and was on her way home, the accused person came from behind "and gave me a blow on my mouth and broke a tooth."

She said, thereafter, the suspect snatched her
hand bag where she kept the money and threw it to one Osagiagbon."
Osagiagbon was, however, said to be at large.
She said, "It was my shout of 'thief, thief, thief,' that drew the attention of a police patrol team from Esigie Division, which later apprehended Edebiri."

During cross examination, Obahudu had told the court that the accused was her step-brother, adding that she inherited the farm from her late father.
The Chief Magistrate, Peter Edo-Asemota, who observed that Edebiri did not show any remorse during the trial, aquitted him of the first charge, but found him guilty on the second and third counts.

The court rejected Edebiri's defence that he and the complainant were engaged in a fight over compensation that was paid the latter.
He had said Obahudu was injured while he was trying to free himself from her grip.

Edo-Asemota also held that the offence of stealing was committed when the accused snatched the bag containing the money from the complainant.
The court held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt as required by law and found the accused guilty as charged.
"I sentence the convict to prison term of three
years with hard labour in respect of count two and three without option of fine," Edo-Asemota ruled.