Housewife bags one year jail term for attempting to steal some Goats

A Nigerian court has sentenced a housewife, Omolara Jimoh, 39, to one year imprisonment for attempting to steal some goats.

The judge, Mr Abolade Banigbe, of the Omu Aran Area Court, in the central Nigerian state of Kwara, sentenced Omolara who pleaded guilty to the one count charge at her arraignment on June 13.

Omolara, who lives in Latinwo Area of Omu-Aran was, however, given an option of N3,000 fine.

Banigbe, in his judgment, noted that the housewife's attitude constituted a nuisance to the society and that her conviction was to serve as deterrent to would be offenders.

"I wonder what lessons you want the society to learn from you and the kind of legacy you are leaving behind for your own children.

"You ought to be a role model as a parent, and be an exemplary leader for the society to emulate, not the other way round.

"I am only lenient with you because you did not waste the time of the court. You should, therefore, change your attitude positively and productively," the judge said.

The accused, who did not have legal representation during the trial, however, blamed the act on the devil in her confessional statement before the court.

She told the court that she had intended using the proceeds from the sale of the goat to settle "an old debt."

"Although this is my second time of stealing goats, my intention was to settle an old debt which had hooked my neck," the convict said.

The Prosecutor, Sgt. Adeola Adeboye, had told the court that the accused attempted to steal some goats at Oke-Esa Compound, Omu-Aran, at 6:00 a.m. on April 24.

He said that the accused had on the said date engaged a boy, whose name he did not disclose, to assist her to catch the goats, which belonged to one Mrs Rachael James.

Adeboye added that Omolara was found in possession of some ropes, a torchlight and some sacks, to aid her illegal action.

The prosecutor said that James, who noticed suspicious moment around the goats, promptly raised an alarm which led to the arrest of Omolara by a member of the town vigilance group He said that the offence contravened Section 95 of the Penal Code.