A Dutse Grade 1 Area Court in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital on Thursday sentenced three men, Peter Ogu, 30; Isa Danjuma, 25 and Abubakar Danjuma, 25, to seven months imprisonment for offering gratification to a police officer.
The convicts, all of Tipper Garage in Dutse, Abuja, were arraigned on a two-count charge of being in possession of property reasonably suspected to be stolen and offering gratification.
All the accused persons pleaded guilty.
The presiding officer, Mr Ado Ahmed, in his ruling sentenced the defendants to seven months imprisonment or N7,000 option of fine each.
“You will serve two months each for the charge of being in possession of property reasonably suspected to be stolen or pay the sum of N3,000 fine each.
“You will also serve five months in prison each for the charge offering gratification or pay the sum of N4,000 fine each.
“All sentences will run concurrently,’’ Ahmed ruled.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Mrs Agnes Aluko-Adewumi, a senior state counsel, told the court that on Feb.3, a police patrol team led by Mr Friday Job of the Bwari Divisional Police Headquarters, arrested the defendants at about 5.30 a.m.
She said that the convicts were caught with four fairly used lorry tyres, whose value was uncertain.
“During investigation, it was discovered that they offered Job, a police inspector, the sum of N5,000 as gratification to persuade him to leave them to go,’’ She explained.
Aluko-Adewumi said that the offence contravened the Penal Code.