Two men have been sentenced to prison by an Abuja Upper Area Court for stealing a car battery. The convicted persons, Ismaila Aliyu and Masudu Mohammed, who  pleaded with the court for leniency, said it was the prevalent economic situation in the country that forced them to commit the crime.


The court was informed that the two suspects were arrested following a complaint launched by the complainant that on August 3 the defendants conspired and removed his Nissan vehicle’s battery worth N22,000 at Jabi Park without his consent and sold it for a token of N5,000.

The defendants pleaded guilty to the two-count charges of criminal trespass and theft, while the prosecutor urged the court to try them summarily.

The presiding judge, Umar Kagarko, sentenced the convicts to two weeks imprisonment or payment of fine of N3,000 and ordered that they should be given four lashes of cane, each.