Court jails mechanic for absconding with customer’s N30,000

A Karmo Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, on Tuesday sentenced a motor mechanic, Ibrahim Adeniyi, to six months imprisonment for absconding with a customer’s N30, 000.

Adeniyi, a resident of Jabi garage in FCT, was sentenced on a two-count charge of criminal breach of trust and cheating.

The judge, Mr Abubakar Sadiq, convicted Adeniyi after he had admitted committing the offences.

Sadiq, however, gave the convict an option of N10, 000 fine, and warned him to view the reprieve as a second chance to become a better citizen.

He also ordered him to return the N14, 000, part of the money he took from the complainant.

The judge added that paying back that money was also a key condition the convict should meet before regaining his freedom.

The prosecutor, Mrs Florence Auhioboh, had told the court that the complainant, Felix Okonkwo, reported the matter at Utako Police Station on March 26.

Auhioboh said that sometime ago, the complainant entrusted N30,000 to the convict through one Taiwo, a mechanic, to fix a car gear box.

She said the convict collected the money, failed to repair the gear box and absconded with the money to an unknown destination, but was later arrested.

The prosecutor explained that during police investigation and interrogation, he confessed to committing the offences and N16,000 was recovered from him.

Auhioboh said that efforts to recover the remaining N14,000 from him after his arrest was abortive.

The prosecutor said the offences violated sections 312 and 322 of the Penal Code. (NAN)