Two teenagers of Bajego area of Minna, the Niger State capital have been sentenced to be flogged with 40 strokes of the cane by a Minna senior Magistrate court No7.
The teenagers, Christopher George 19 and Sadiq Abdullahi 17 years are both residents of Bajego area of Minna.
According to the First Information Report (FIR) made available in court and obtained by this reporter, the teenagers were arrested by one Salihu Ibrahim a vigilante group and brought to the Bosso Divisional Police Command for conspiring among themselves and criminaly trespassed into the residence of one Crispy of Bosso Estate in Minna and cut his electric wires of his house.
“On the same date and time both of you also conspired among yourselves and criminally trespassed into the residence of one Alhaji Ahmed Musa of Angwan Rahama area of Bosso and made away with electric cable wires fixed on the wall of his fence thereby causing damages to electric installation of the fence valued at N200,000.
“They both confessed to have committed the offences.
When the four count charge was read to them by the presiding senior Magistrate, they all pleaded guilty to charges, however, they were ordered to be kept at the Minna children correctional facilities pending their conviction.
The senior Magistrate Hajiya Fati Kabir found them guilty of four count charges brought against them by the men of Bosso Divisional Police Command.
According to the Police prosecutor, Inspector Baba Aliyu Yakubu, the offences include criminal conspiracy, criminal trespass, mischief and theft.
The four count charges, he told the court contravened section 97, 348, 327 and 288 of the penal code.
While convicting them the senior Magistrate Hajiya Fati Kabir observed with dismay increasing rates at which teenagers are involved in crimes in the state and then sentenced them to ten strokes of the cane on each count charge.
“This will served as a deterrent to you and other teenagers of your pairs that in to such act.” she warned.
