A Magistrates Court in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, has sentenced 40-year-old Cletus Gandu to nine months in prison for the theft of two tubers of yam.
Gandu admitted to the crime, pleading for the court’s mercy as he recounted that he stole the tubers of yam because he was hungry.
Magistrate Michael Bawa weighed the circumstances, handing down a three-month sentence for criminal trespass and a harsher nine months for the theft itself. Yet, in a rare show of leniency, he offered Gandu an alternative: a fine of N50,000, a sum far beyond what the man could muster.
The charges, brought by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), stemmed from incidents reported by complainant Alice Daniel, who notified authorities of the theft on July 15th.
According to prosecutor Mr. Marcus Audu, Gandu had plundered Daniel’s farm in Zonkwa on two separate occasions, only to confess his crimes when confronted during the investigation.
