A Chief Magistrate Court in Yola, Adamawa State, sentenced eight individuals to 10 years imprisonment each for vandalizing electricity and telecommunication cables at the airport
In a decisive ruling, Chief Magistrate Mohammed Njidda of Chief Magistrate Court I in Yola, Adamawa State, has convicted and sentenced eight individuals to ten (10) years imprisonment each for their involvement in the vandalism of electricity and telecommunication cables at the Yola airport.
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The court found the defendants guilty on multiple charges, including criminal conspiracy, criminal trespass, mischief, theft, and dishonestly receiving stolen property.
The convicted individuals are Tamakai Augustine (19), Remember Markus (22), Junior Livinus (22), Salvation Bosom (18), Sunday Bulus (18), Geoffrey Karuni (18), Salvation Amos, and Jude Anthony.
In addition to the 10-year sentence, they were also sentenced to seven years in prison each, with an option of a N250,000 fine, for the offence of mischief related to the vandalized equipment.
Furthermore, the convicts received two years imprisonment each without the option of a fine for theft, one year imprisonment each or a N25,000 fine for criminal conspiracy, and six months each imprisonment or a N25,000 fine for criminal trespass.
The court further ordered each of the eight convicts to pay N4.033 million as compensation, totaling N32.279 million.
The court sentenced the defendants to jail for criminal conspiracy, criminal trespass, mischief, theft and dishonestly receiving stolen property.
This amount represents the cost of the 1920 meters of ground cables from Cast Wing and 1860 meters from the Airfield Edge Light Circuit Cable that were stolen from the airport.
All eight defendants pleaded guilty to the charges upon their arraignment. However, another defendant, Augustine Stephen (45), pleaded not guilty, and his case has been reserved for ruling.
Two other individuals, Suleiman Ibrahim and Yusuf Adamu, who are also implicated in the crime, are currently at large.
The Police Prosecutor, Inspector S. S. Nicholas, informed the court that the convicted individuals and the fleeing defendants, all residents of Bachure in Yola North Local Government Area, conspired and trespassed into the airport on July 23, 2024.
They proceeded to vandalize the electricity and telecommunication cables and subsequently sold 9kg of copper wire for N81,000 to Suleiman Ibrahim.
