A court in Sokoto has sentenced five people, including Dahiru Ibrahim, to seven years in prison for stealing and damaging a 50KVA Distribution Transformer in the Runjin Sambo area of Sokoto.
The five were caught after the substation was vandalized, and the Sokoto State Police arrested them. The court found them guilty of criminal conspiracy, mischief, and theft under the Sokoto State Penal Code Law.
Abdulazeez Abdullahi, from Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, said this ruling is an important victory against those who damage power equipment. He praised the police and courts for their hard work in bringing the criminals to justice.
The court gave the criminals a chance to pay fines instead of serving their full prison terms. The fines are:
50,000 Naira for the first charge,
150,000 Naira for the second charge, and
100,000 Naira for the third charge.
Dahiru Ibrahim, the main suspect, was also ordered to pay 1.5 million Naira in compensation to Kaduna Electric.
In another case, two men, Sirajo Umar and his accomplice, were sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for trying to steal power cables in Sanyinna village. They were given the option to pay fines instead of serving their full sentences.