A Plateau State High Court in Jos on Friday sentenced four men to 28 years imprisonment each, for robbing a woman of N57,000.
The convicts – Lokhur Peter, Gampyal Mallam, Selchak Mamtur and Ponzing Samuel – all residents of Langtang in Plateau, were jailed 14 years each for armed robbery and another 14 years for conspiracy.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the quartet were arraigned on Sept. 14, 2014, on a two-count charge of criminal conspiracy and robbery.
According to the prosecutor, Mr Andrew Yilnan, the offence was committed on Aug. 9, 2014.
Yilnan told the court that the quartet, while armed with guns, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons, attacked the home of one Mrs. Lokhya Gono, and made away with the sum of N57,000 cash.
The prosecutor said that the offence contravened sections 6b and 1 of the Robbery and Firearms Act.
The accused, who pleaded guilty, blamed the devil for their actions.
In his judgment, Justice A. I. Ashoms said that they had been found guilty of criminal conspiracy and robbery.
“However, there is no proof that you used weapons in committing the crime which saves you from the maximum punishment of death by hanging.
“The sentence of this court upon you is 14 years imprisonment each for the offence of criminal conspiracy, and another 14 years each for the offence of robbery.
“The sentence is to be served concurrently starting from when you were arrested and detained,” he held.
The prosecuting counsel, Yilnan, while reacting to the sentence, said that he was happy that justice had been served after four years of trial.
Yilnan said that based on the law, the convicts had been given the right sentence.
“The Judge has jailed them 14 years each for the two offences. They are to run concurrently which means that they are to spend just 14 years in prison, starting from the date trial commenced.”
The defence counsel, Mr John Mantu, expressed satisfaction over the verdict, saying that justice was a three-way traffic that involved the convict, the victim and the society.
“The Judge was lenient enough to have made their prison sentence commence from when their trial began.” he said. (NAN)