On Tuesday, a Dei-Dei Grade I Area Court in Abuja ordered a 28-year-old labourer, Mohammed Musa, to sweep the community police station for six months for stealing N50,000 from his neighbour’s bank account.
Mr Musa, who lives in Kubwa, Abuja, pleaded guilty to cheating and theft and begged the court for leniency.
The judge, Saminu Suleiman, ordered the convict to clean the police station for six months or pay a fine of N20,000.
The prosecution counsel, Chinedu Ogada, told the court that the complainant, Abubakar Shaibu of the same address, reported the matter at the Dutse Alhaji Police Station, Abuja, on January 3.
Mr Ogada said that on December 28 at about 2:00 p.m., the convict told the complainant that someone had sent him money through the complainant’s account.
He said the convict asked the complainant to give him his cell phone to check incoming bank alerts.
He told the court that after collecting the phone from the complainant, the convict used the cell phone and transferred N50,000 from the complainant’s bank account into his own Fidelity account.
The prosecutor said the convict transferred the sum without the complainant’s consent and ran to an unknown place but was later caught and handed over to the police.
Mr Ogada said that during the police investigation, the convict confessed, and the money was recovered from him. (NAN)