Following their arraignment on two charges of felony and catfish theft valued at N606,000, the defendants—ex-workers on a farm in Ilewo, Abeokuta—were sentenced by Justice O.O. Odumosu on Wednesday.
She gave the two guilty parties separate sentences of six months each for the first offense and a year each for the second count.
However, Odumosu gave the guilty a choice to pay a fine of N10,000 for each jail sentence as long as they could reimburse the complainant for the N606,000 they had been imprisoned.
The prosecutor, Olakunle Shonibare, told the court that the offences committed on January 24, 2023, contravened Sections 516(1) and 382(2) of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun State.
The charge read in part; “That you, Akinleye Adegoke, Adewole Adediran and others at large on January 24, 2023 at about 12noon at Abidelep Farm and Agro-Service Limited, Ilewo, Orile, Abeokuta in the magisterial district did conspire to commit felony and thereby committed an offence contrary and punishable under Section 516(1) of the Criminal Laws of Ogun State.
That you, Akinleye Adegoke, Adewole Adediran and others at large on the same date, time and place in the aforesaid magisterial district did steal 404 pieces of catfish valued at N606,000 property of one Mrs Sanusi Ibukun and thereby committed an offence contrary and punishable under Section 382(2) of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun State.”
