A man identified as Nasir Idris has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for stealing a prayer mat and a fan from a mosque in Abuja, News About Nigeria reports.
The court, in its judgement, however, gave Idris an option to pay a N50,000 fine as against serving 15 months in prison.
Delivering judgement on the case on Thursday, Justice Saminu Suleiman of the Dei-Dei Grade I Area Court, Abuja, who found Idris guilty of the crime, warned him to desist from committing crimes and to be of good behaviour.
During the hearing of the case, the prosecutor, Mr. Chinedu Ogada, told the court that one Ali Zuma apprehended Idris on March 17 and took him to the police at Zuba, also in the FCT.
According to Ogada, Idris was caught when he trespassed on the mosque at Dei-Dei, Abuja, and was trying to steal the fan and a prayer mat.
He also noted that Idris admitted to the crime during the investigation and confessed to having been in prison twice for theft and robbery-related offences.
The prosecutor also told the court that the offence committed by Idris at Dei-Dei contravened the Penal Code of the FCT and deserves punishment.
Speaking after the prosecutor, Idris pleaded guilty to the charge, citing hunger and poverty as the causes of his stealing.
He also begged the court for leniency, which made Justice Suleiman give him an option of N50,000 fine.
While warning Idris against stealing, the Justice warned that if he repeated such a crime, he would be severely punished.
