Man Jailed for Being in Possession of Stolen Phone

By Felix Kuyinu

A man, Nafiu Ahmed, has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment for being in possession of a missing person’s phone.

At the Igbosere Magistrate Court, Ebute-Metta, Lagos, on Thursday, Ahmed was convicted by Magistrate Oluwatosin Erinle who held that the phone valued N70,000.

Adding an additional six months to the jail term, the Magistate said that after all investigation, she found him guilty on two counts of receiving and possessing a phone.

Erinle said that the sentence was to run concurrently, effective from July 27, 2023, when the convict was first remanded.

The police prosecutor, Inspector Cyriacus Osuji, told the court that the convict, who was 22 years old when he committed the offences on April 12, 2022 at Agege area of Lagos, received and retained the Huawei T18 phone belonging to one John Akinshola who has been declared missing and possibly a victim of kidnap.

According to the prosecutor, the offences committed contravened Sections 328 and 329(a) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

Ahmed pleaded not guilty to the charge.

In her judgment, Magistrate Erinle said,” You are hereby sentenced to seven years imprisonment for the first count and six months for the second count.

“The sentence is to run concurrently effective from July 27, 2023, when the convict was first remanded.”