A Magistrates’ Court in Kaduna has sentenced a 34-year-old trader, Jibrin Yusuf, to 10 strokes of cane for assaulting his friend over a N3,000 debt.
Magistrate Ibrahim Emmanuel imposed the punishment after Yusuf pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and assault. Emmanuel noted that the court was being lenient due to the convict’s admission of guilt, which saved the court time.
The magistrate advised Yusuf to refrain from such behavior in the future, warning that any similar actions would not be tolerated next time. Additionally, Emmanuel ordered Yusuf to pay N230,000 in restitution to the complainant, Abubakar Haruna.
Earlier, Prosecutor Insp. Chidi Leo informed the court that Haruna, who resides in the same compound as Yusuf, reported the incident to the Gabasawa Police Station on February 16. The prosecutor explained that Haruna had previously borrowed money from Yusuf but was unable to repay it when asked. This sparked an argument between the two.
Leo further stated that Yusuf later gathered four accomplices, who are still at large, broke into Haruna’s room, beat him, damaged property worth N50,000, and stole his brother’s phone, valued at N180,000. The prosecutor noted that the offenses violated the Penal Code of Kaduna State, 2017.
