A Magistrate Court 2 in Kado – Life Camp, Abuja, has sentenced a contract worker with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to six months in jail for the theft of an HP laptop belonging to the Board. JAMB disclosed this in its weekly bulletin published on Monday.

According to the bulletin, which was approved by JAMB’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, the accused, Emmanuel Odey, committed the crime on Thursday, July 13, 2023, at the Board’s FCT Zonal Office in Abuja. He was charged under Section 287-289 of the Penal Code, which makes theft punishable under the same section.

The bulletin stated, “Odey, a cleaner employed for cleaning services at the Board’s FCT Zonal Office, broke down in tears and admitted before the court to stealing the HP laptop worth N350,000 to pay his expired house rent.

“While pleading for leniency, he confessed that he had acted alone but blamed the devil for his act and begged to be given a second chance.”

After a rigorous cross-examination, the Senior Magistrate, Mr. Egbe Joshua, noted that the defendant was a first-time offender who displayed remorse. Joshua recognized youthful exuberance as a potential factor in the crime. As a result, the Senior Magistrate summarily tried and convicted the defendant under Section 112(8) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015. Odey was sentenced to six months imprisonment with an alternative fine of five thousand naira.

JAMB stated that it had previously formed an investigating team headed by Superintendent of Police, Joy Abuma, to uncover the details of the missing HP laptop. Abuma’s meticulous investigation led to the arrest of the defendant and his subsequent confession that he had concealed the laptop at his sister’s residence.

In this article