2 ADAMAWA HUNTERS, 3 OTHERS SENTENCED 14 YRS EACH FOR RECEIVING 20 STOLEN HANDSETS

Newly created Upper Area Court 4 sitting in Yola, Adamawa has convicted and sentenced 2 Local Hunters and 3 others to 14 years imprisonment for the offence of receiving stolen property.

The convicts, Sani Umar(aka Wizkid), Abdulhadi Hayatu(Daba), Abubakar Idris(aka Kwaro), Mujahid Muhammad Mujahid and Adamu Usman(aka Mai Mata) were convicted with an option of N100, 000 each.

Sani and Abdulhadi, who hail from Wauru Jabbe in Yola South Local Government Area and said to be Local Hunters by occupation, bought 11 stolen handsets while knowing fully well that the items were stolen. 

While Abubakar, an electrician and bricklayer, Mujahid, a capenter and Adamu, a wielder are residents of Wauru Jabbe and Yelwa in Jambutu, Yola North LGA.

The trio admitted to have bought 9 GSM mobile phones from different people with their knowledge that they were carted away which amounted to receiving stolen property contrary to section 307 and punishable under section 308 of penal code law, 2018.

They were arrested by operation farauda and arraigned before the court on the 29th November, 2021, by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in collaboration with the Department of State Security Service(DSS).

All the convicts pleaded guilty when the particulars of complaint was read to them following an application by counsel to the prosecution.A. M. Iliyasu,(Senior State Counsel II), after which the matter was adjourned to 6th December, 2021, for corroboration and summary trial.

To secure the conviction of the 5 defendants, counsel to the prosecution, D. I. Kulthu(Senior State Counsel II) during Monday sitting, called a witness who corroborated their plea and tendered confessional statements which were admitted in evidence without objection.

Thereafter, Kulthu, applied for summary trial of the defendants based on their guilt plea, confessional statements and testimony of the prosecution witness.

Delivering its ruling, the new court presided by its pioner judge, Hon. Ibrahim Musa Ulenda, convicted and sentenced them to 14 years in prison each with and option of N100, 000 each.