A Makurdi Upper Area Court on Tuesday sentenced a man, Ochoechi Adakole, to six months imprisonment for stealing money and wedding gifts.
Magistrate Dooshima Ikpambese, delivering her judgment, held that the convict showed remorse over his action and pleaded for mercy.
Ikpambese sentenced him with an option of N10,000 fine.
She further ordered the convict to pay N80,000 as compensation to the couple.
The Police Prosecutor, Insp Rachael Mchiave, told the court that Mr. Benjamin Igboko of No. 6 Asema Achado Street High-Level Makurdi reported the case at A Divisional Police Station, Makurdi on Dec. 3, 2022.
Mchiave said the complainant got married in the Benue Hotels and Resorts Makurdi.
She said after the wedding, the convict who pretended as if he was assisting him to pick up the gifts, stole the money neatly packed in a bag in envelopes.
She said the total amount of money stolen is not known.
The prosecutor said Adakole was arrested during the investigation and he confessed to committing the crime.
She said the offense contravened the provisions of Section 288 of the Penal Code Laws of Benue.
The convict pleaded guilty and told the court that he stole the money from the groom’s car booth while trying to store the remaining wedding cake inside the car.
He said that after counting the money he traveled to Adoka, his village.
“The money was only N110, 000 but the complainant said it was N250,000,” the convict said.
In his testimony, the complainant said he had earlier told the accused at the Police Station to pay him N250,000 to settle the matter.
He said the convict agreed and had paid a total of N30,000 so far.
