An Abuja Senior Magistrates’ court has sentenced two unemployed men to 6 months in prison for being in possession of criminal charms.
The convicts are Abdullahi Kabo, 40 and Abdullahi Safiyanu, 31, both of Dape village, Life Camp, Abuja.
The Chief Magistrate, Hajiya Fati Tafida, sentenced the convicts after finding them guilty of a two-count charge of joint act and being in possession of criminal charms.
Tafida, however, gave them an option of N5,000 fine each.
The Chief Magistrate, in her judgement, said that “the convicts pleaded for leniency, but being first time offenders, you both are hereby sentenced to 6 months imprisonment with an option to pay N5,000 fine each.
Failure to pay the fine will attract another 6 months imprisonment and the jail term will run concurrently’’.
Similarly, an unemployed man, Liman Salisu, 25, of the same village, who was also arraigned alongside the two convicts, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Chief Magistrate granted the accused person bail for N50,000 and one reliable surety.
“The surety must be a civil servant on GL 15 with a landed property in Abuja and should deposit a copy of the Certificate of Occupancy of the property to the court registry.
“The residence of the surety must be made known to the police and should not be an uncompleted building.
“The surety should deposit two passport photographs, an ID card with a letter of undertaking to provide the accused throughout the trial.
“He should also provide his original promotion letter to the court for sighting,’’ Tafida said.
The Chief Magistrate further adjourned the matter until June 23 for hearing proper.
Earlier, the police prosecutor, PC Odigri Onah, had reported that on May 31, the convicts jointly conspired and went to the residence of the accused (Salisu) to prepare a charm.
According to Onah, the charm was prepared to enable one Ayuba Abubakar, who is in court detention on a criminal charge, to disappear from the prison cell.
He said the convicts were arrested by the police officers at the counter while delivering the charm which was hidden inside a plate of food for Abubakar.(NAN).
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