The Upper Customary Court in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, [/b]has pronounced a verdict of guilt on a 30-year-old man named Bege Mato, for cheating.
Presiding over the case, Judge George Gwani, has ruled that the defendant will serve six months in jail as a consequence of being found culpable of the charges leveled against him.
Bege Mato, who resides in Kamuru, was accused of both criminal breach of trust and cheating. The matter was brought before the court following a report by the complainant, Julius Jonah, to the Kafanchan Divisional Police station on July 25.
As outlined by the Police Prosecutor, Inspector Esther Bishen, the complainant alleged that Bege Mato accepted a sum of N795,000 from him with the promise of delivering a certain quantity of ginger.
However, it was argued that the defendant only supplied ginger amounting to N535,000, and subsequently misappropriated the remaining N260,000 for personal use.
When confronted with the charges, the defendant pleaded guilty and sought leniency from the court. The prosecutor emphasized that the defendant's actions were a clear violation of sections 296 and 306 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law.
In a verdict delivered with conviction, Justice George Gwani sentenced Bege Mato to three months of imprisonment for the first count and a concurrent six-month sentence for the second count.
The judge, however, extended an option to the defendant to pay fines in lieu of serving the complete jail term. A fine of N15,000 was specified for the first offense, while a fine of N25,000 was set for the second offense.
Furthermore, in response to a request made by the prosecutor, the judge directed the defendant to compensate the complainant with the sum of N260,000.
