Court jails 22-year-old two years for stealing from Ogun church, mosque
- Atofeyinti Gafar pleaded guilty to four counts of conspiracy, burglary and stealing in Abeokuta.
- The court heard he took items worth over ₦1.7 million from a church and an Islamic society.
- Magistrate O.T. Odubanjo sentenced him to two years with no option of fine, to run concurrently.
A 22-year-old man, Atofeyinti Gafar, has been sentenced to two years in prison by an Abeokuta Magistrates' Court sitting in Isabo for stealing items worth more than ₦1.7 million from a church and a mosque in the Ogun State capital.
Gafar, who has no fixed address, pleaded guilty to four counts of conspiracy, burglary and stealing. Magistrate O.T. Odubanjo convicted him on Tuesday after his plea and handed down two years for conspiracy and stealing, with no option of a fine on each count. She ordered that the sentences run at the same time.
What the court heard
The prosecutor, Inspector Opeyemi Lawal, told the court that the offences happened in May and on October 18 at about 6am in the Itoko area of Abeokuta.
According to the prosecutor, Gafar broke into the C & S Orisun Ibukun Goshen Church and stole an amplifier engine valued at ₦350,000, a 6 by 6 foam worth ₦250,000, two speakers valued at ₦200,000, a stove and cooking utensils worth ₦170,000, two bells valued at ₦40,000 and some wire valued at ₦50,000.
Lawal also said that on October 18, the defendant entered the property of the Allahu Rahamon Islamic Society with intent to steal, taking an amplifier engine valued at ₦450,000 and four speakers worth ₦250,000.
The total value of the stolen items was put at ₦1.7 million. The prosecutor said vigilante officers caught the defendant, leading to his arrest.
The offences contravene Sections 390(9) and 412 of the Criminal Code, Vol. 1, Laws of Ogun, 2006, the court heard.
For residents of Itoko and other parts of Abeokuta, the case highlights the role of local vigilante groups in catching suspects, and the tough stance courts are taking on burglary as places of worship increasingly lose valuable equipment to thieves.
