By Patience Yakubu
A Kaduna Chief Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, sentenced a 41-year-old car dealer, Kelechukwu Okoro, to one-year imprisonment for stealing a Honda CR-V and Toyota Camry cars worth N5.9m.
In his judgment, The Magistrate, Ibrahim Emmanuel, said Okoro was guilty of selling the cars and converting the proceeds to his own personal use.
He sentenced Okoro without an option of fine, adding that the sentence would serve as a deterrent to others who are into life of crime.
In addition, the magistrate ordered the convict to restitute N5.9m to the complainant, Felix Courage, which was the value of the cars.
He further ordered that in the event the convict failed to restitute the complainants, he shall serve an additional two years prison term.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp. Chidi Leo, told the court that the offences were committed sometime in June 24, at Narayi, Kaduna.
Leo alleged that the complainant gave the two unregistered vehicles valued at N3. 2 million and N2.7million respectively to the defendant to sell.
The prosecutor said that the defendant allegedly sold the cars, but failed to remit the money into the complainant’s account.
“Since then, the defendant has been avoiding the complainant’s calls and all efforts to meet with him failed,” he said.
Leo said the offences contravened the Penal Code of Kaduna State, 2017