A Kaduna Magistrate Court has sentenced a 19-year-old man, Abdulgafar Aminu, to six months in prison for stealing N450,000 using a stolen ATM card.

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The court, presided over by Magistrate Ibrahim Emmanuel, found Aminu guilty of the theft. However, the magistrate offered the convict an option of paying a N30,000 fine in lieu of serving the jail term.

In delivering his judgment, Emmanuel stated that Aminu failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for his actions. He also ordered the convict to refund the full amount of N450,000 to the victim, Shuaibu Dauda. Failure to repay the money will result in an additional one-year imprisonment.

The prosecutor, Inspector Chidi Leo, told the court that the case was reported at the Gabasawa Police Station by Dauda on June 3. According to Leo, Aminu stole the ATM card from the complainant’s shop located on Kano Road, Kaduna, and proceeded to withdraw N200,000 and N250,000 in separate transactions.

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His attempt to withdraw an additional N50,000 raised suspicion with a POS operator, who alerted authorities. Aminu was arrested and confessed to the crime during police investigations.

The offence contravenes the provisions of the Kaduna State Penal Code, 2017.

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