By Alex Igbekhe
A Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting in Dutse, Abuja, has ordered the remand of a 52-year-old dry cleaner, Abdul Mohammed, over his alleged involvement in the theft of valuable jewellery belonging to Senator Ireti Kingibe, representing the Federal Capital Territory in the National Assembly.
The defendant was brought before Magistrate Abdullahi Ilelah on Friday, where he shockingly entered a guilty plea to the charge of theft preferred against him by the police. Following his admission, the magistrate directed that he be remanded in custody and subsequently adjourned the case until September 21 for sentencing, giving the court time to deliberate on the appropriate penalty for the offence.
The prosecution counsel, Adama Musa, while presenting the facts of the case before the court, disclosed that the complainant, Senator Kingibe, who resides within the highbrow Zangon Daura Estate in Kado, Abuja, had first reported the incident at the Criminal Investigation Department of the Nigeria Police Force on June 27.
According to Musa, the dry cleaner, who was entrusted with access to the senator’s residence in the course of his work, managed to gain unlawful entry into her private room, where he forcefully broke open her jewellery box and carted away an assortment of high-value items, including gold bangles, expensive necklaces, luxury wristwatches, and several pairs of earrings, all collectively worth a staggering sum.
Further investigations carried out by the police revealed that Mohammed did not act alone in disposing of the stolen assets. The defendant reportedly confessed during interrogation that he had sold all the stolen jewellery to two buyers, identified as Suleiman Isah and Isah Yusuf, both residents of the Federal Capital Territory, for a total sum of N45.7 million.
This confession, the prosecution argued, formed a crucial part of the evidence linking him to the crime, and they urged the court to proceed with sentencing without further delay, citing Section 112(8) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, which empowers the court to act swiftly on guilty pleas in appropriate circumstances.
The offence for which Mohammed was charged, the prosecutor noted, falls under Section 289 of the Penal Code Law, which prescribes punishment for theft and related property offences, and the court is now expected to determine the legal consequences for the convicted dry cleaner when it reconvenes for sentencing in September.
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