WHAT IS THIS? Man & Female AssistantJailed 24 Years For Stealing Mosquito Nets

An Asaba Chief Magistrate’s Court has
sentenced head storekeeper attached to
Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, office
Asaba and his assistant to 24 years
imprisonment for stealing treated mosquito
nets.


But no matter the billions a big man steals in
Nigeria, he wont spend more than six months
or two years in prison and will even be asked to
pay a "ridiculous" fine and go home.

The said Mosquito Nets were procured by the
Federal Government for the six states in the
South-South geo-political zone and kept in the
warehouse.

Jailed were Mr. Mike Okonkwo, Head of
Store, MDGs office, Asaba and Mrs.
Finecountry Tracy, his assistant.


Incidentally, the businessman, who purchased
the nets from the storekeepers, Ugwu Joseph,
jumped bail during trial and was still at large
when the judgment was delivered, Monday.

Delivering judgment, Chief Magistrate S. C.
Ehikwe sentenced the storekeeper and his
assistant to three years imprisonment with
hard labour on each of the four counts for
which they were found guilty. Sentences are,
however, to run concurrently.

The magistrate also ordered that: “The police
is urged to intensify their efforts to get Ugwu
Ugochukwu arrested as the bench warrant
issued for his arrest and his surety to show
cause was extended.

“When arrested, warrant to serve his jail term
would be signed in line with the terms of the
second and third accused persons. It is
further ordered that his surety wherever
found should be arrested to face his own
charge.”

Counsel to the third accused, Mr. F. N.

Monye
had pleaded for “utmost leniency,” saying that
third accused is a housewife and urged the
court to be lenient with her, same for the
second accused he claimed that he was a
victim of circumstance.

But the Magistrate said: “The issue of mercy
and leniency depends on the nature of the
case. Those who are privileged to be entrusted
with the welfare of the less privileged should
regard such a responsibility as a sacred duty
bestowed on them by God.”

“Denying the less privileged the benefit of
health care which is the only way the
government can get to them is not only a sin
against humanity but a crime against God.

Such people do not deserve mercy. The
punishment is to serve as a deterrent to
others.”

How come it is only the poor without
connections that our judiciary use as example?