A Bauchi State court has sentenced eight persons to eight years’ imprisonment each for thuggery and disturbance of public peace in Unguwar Dim, Bauchi metropolis.
The convicts were also given the option of paying a N370,000 fine each, the state police command has said.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Nafiu Habib, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.
Habib said the suspects were arrested following a complaint by the Unguwar Dim Peace and Security Committee on October 14 over renewed thuggery in the area.
He said a joint team of police operatives and community security personnel raided the suspects’ hideout in the early hours of October 15.
Nine persons were arrested during the operation, while dangerous weapons, including machetes, cutlasses, knives and sticks, were recovered alongside illicit substances.
According to the police spokesman, eight of the suspects were charged to court after investigations and convicted after pleading guilty to the charges.
The police did not disclose the identity of the court or the names of the convicts in the statement.
The Commissioner of Police, Sani-Omolori Aliyu, welcomed the judgment, describing it as a step towards tackling thuggery and other criminal activities in the state.
Aliyu urged residents to provide credible information to the police to help identify and apprehend suspected criminals.
He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to sustaining operations against thuggery and other crimes, assuring residents of efforts to protect lives and property across Bauchi State.
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