22-year-old man breaks into church and mosque, steals valuables worth ₦1.7m, gets 2 years in prison

• A 22-year-old man, Atofeyinti Gafar, has been sentenced to two years in prison for stealing from a church and mosque in Abeokuta.

• The stolen valuables included amplifiers, speakers, a mattress, cooking utensils, bells and electrical wires worth approximately ₦1.7 million.

• Gafar pleaded guilty to a four-count charge after vigilante officers apprehended him and handed him over to the police.

A 22-year-old man in Ogun State has been sentenced to two years in prison after stealing valuables worth approximately ₦1.7 million from a church and a mosque in separate incidents.

According to the report published by The Guardian, the stolen property included amplifiers, speakers, a mattress, cooking utensils, two bells and electrical wires.

The convict, identified as Atofeyinti Gafar, was sentenced by an Abeokuta Magistrates' Court sitting in Isabo after pleading guilty to charges bordering on conspiracy, burglary and stealing.

According to the prosecution, Gafar's first reported target was C&S Orisun Ibukun Goshen Church in the Itoko area of Abeokuta, where he allegedly stole several items in May.

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Among the items taken were an amplifier engine valued at ₦350,000, two speakers worth ₦200,000 and a 6-by-6 foam mattress estimated at ₦250,000.

He also allegedly made away with a stove and cooking utensils valued at ₦170,000, two bells worth ₦40,000 and electrical wires estimated at ₦50,000.

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The church burglary was followed by another incident involving Allahu Rahamon Islamic Society, also in Itoko.

The prosecutor, Inspector Opeyemi Lawal, told the court that Gafar broke into the Islamic society's premises on October 18 and stole an amplifier engine worth ₦450,000 and four speakers valued at ₦250,000.

The combined value of the items stolen from both institutions was put at approximately ₦1.7 million.

His alleged activities eventually came to an end when vigilante officers apprehended him and handed him over to the police for investigation and prosecution.

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During the court proceedings, the prosecution said the offences contravened Sections 390(9) and 412 of the Criminal Code, Volume 1, Laws of Ogun State, 2006.

Magistrate O.T. Odubanjo convicted Gafar after he pleaded guilty and sentenced him to two years' imprisonment for conspiracy and stealing, without the option of a fine on each count.

The magistrate, however, ordered that the sentences run concurrently, meaning he will serve them at the same time rather than consecutively.