An Iyaganku Senior Magistrates’ Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, has sentenced Akeem Azeez, 23, and his cohort, Quadri Yusuf, 25, to three years in prison each for vandalizing transformer.
Delivering the judgment on Tuesday, the Senior Magistrate, Mrs. Munirat Giwa-Babalola, found the convicts guilty on count one charge of conspiracy, count two of vandalizing and stealing and discharge them on count three of going about armed in public.
She said the sentence would serve as a deterrent to others planning to commit such an offence.
Akeem, a trader of Oke Are area of Ibadan, and Quadri, a baker of Baba Isale Compound, Foko, Ibadan, were docked after pleading guilty to the charges.
The Police Prosecutor, Sgt. Kola Olaiya had earlier told the court that the convicts on July 22, at about 2 a.m at Itamaya area, Ibadan, conspired to vandalize a 500 KVA transformer.
Olaiya said the convicts stole six fuses, two pipe coppers valued at N30,000 from the vandalized transformer belonging to Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).
He said the convicts went there with an axe, knife and six spanners in different sizes, saying however that the cable was secured with concrete cement which cannot be broken easily.
“In the efforts of the convicts to carry out the act, some wires were damaged and cut off, some bolts were loose and six fuses removed in the transformer.
“The local vigilante led by one Sodig Ismailia in Itamaya area, Ibadan, arrested them and handed them over to police at Mapo police station.
“When the Service Manager of IBEDC, Mr Abiodun Oguntade, was contacted by police, he estimated the value of damage to the vandalized transformer to worth N2.5 million,” Olaiya said.
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