22-year old receptionist jailed for stealing employer’s cell phone

        

A Minna Magistrates’ Court has sentenced a 22-year-old receptionist, Mustapha Husseini, to six months in prison for stealing his employer’s cell phone.  

Husseini was docked on one-count charge of theft, contrary to Section 288 of the Penal Code. The Prosecutor, Insp. Muazu Abdullahi, told the court that the complainant, Joseph Onuche, of Maitumbi area in Minna reported the matter at the police station on Feb. 3.  

Abdullahi said Onuche plugged his Techno Camon Cx Phone, valued at N57,000 to charge when the convict, whom he employed as receptionist at his office, made away with it. When the charge was read to Husseini, he pleaded guilty and begged the court for leniency, saying he stole his employer’s phone for failing to pay his wages as agreed.  

Husseini said “I stole the phone because my boss broke the agreement we had that he would be paying me N5000 after every two weeks. My intention was to return the phone once he pays me.”  

In his ruling, the Magistrate, Murtala Abdullahi, said the convict should have sued his employer rather than resorting to theft.  Abdullahi, however, sentenced Husseini to six months in prison but gave him an option of N7000 fine. He also ordered the convict to pay the complainant N57,000 compensation as applied by the prosecution.