By Ismail Azeez, Osogbo
A Magistrate Court sitting in Osogbo has sentenced a 28-year-old ex-convict, Jimoh Akeem, to three years’ imprisonment for stealing 17 tubers of yam.
The prosecutor in the case, Corporal Oluokun Babatunde, informed the court that the yams stolen were worth thirty-five thousand naira, belonging to one Tiamiyu Abegunde.
The prosecutor told the court that Jimoh was caught again in the act of another crime, stealing the yams at around 10:00 p.m. on Sunday, 27th July 2025, after he had just concluded a three-year sentence on a previous charge.
He reads: “That you, Jimoh Akeem ‘M’, on the 27th July 2025 at about 10:00 p.m. at the back of Africa Primary School, Ataoja Area, Osogbo, in the Osogbo Magisterial District, did steal 17 pieces of tubers of yam valued at the sum of ₦35,000.00 (Thirty-Five Thousand Naira) only, property of one Tiamiyu Abegunde ‘M’, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 390 (9) of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Vol. 11, Law of Osun State of Nigeria, 2003.”
The defendant pleaded guilty to the one-count charge held against him but repeatedly appealed for the mercy of the court, saying he stole the yams out of hunger.
Jimoh revealed he was once a mechanic but had to close his shop when his landlord sent him packing.
He claimed unemployment and hunger were what prompted him to steal the yams, begging that the court release him since they were already retrieved.
After considering his pleas, Magistrate M.A. Olatunji sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment without the option of a fine, ruling that although his appeals were heartfelt, they did not move the court.
