Court sentences 36-year-old driver to 2 years in prison for car theft

A Kaduna Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday sentenced a 36-year-old driver, Usman Tanko, to two years imprisonment for stealing his employer’s car valued at N4.5 million.

Tanko, a resident of Ungwan Sarki in Kaduna, was convicted after pleading guilty to the offence. Magistrate Ibrahim Emmanuel handed down the sentence without the option of a fine, noting that it would serve as a deterrent to others who might engage in similar acts.

The court also ordered that the recovered Mercedes Benz C300 be returned to its owner, Rabiu Sanusi.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp. Chidi Leo, told the court that Tanko committed the offence on September 25 in Malali, Kaduna. He said the defendant, while working as Sanusi’s driver, was instructed to buy fuel but instead conspired with two accomplices, now at large, to steal the vehicle.

According to Leo, Tanko initially returned without the car and falsely claimed he had been attacked by gunmen who stole it. However, police investigations revealed that he planned the theft, leading to his arrest and subsequent confession.

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