A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Akure, Ondo State, has sentenced 22-year-old Emmanuel Godfrey to 18 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to stealing 35 tubers of yam from a farm.
Godfrey admitted to committing the theft, telling the court he acted out of hunger. According to the charge sheet, the incident occurred on August 29, 2025, at a farm in Awogbamigbe, Oba-Ile, Akure North Local Government Area. The farm is owned by one Sunday Chinedu.
The charge read: “That you, Emmanuel Godfrey, on August 29, 2025, at Awogbamigbe, Oba-Ile, Akure North Local Government area, did commit felony by entering a farm belonging to Sunday Chinedu to steal 35 tubers of yam, which you uprooted from the ground.”
Godfrey, who had no legal representation, pleaded guilty to the one-count charge of theft brought against him by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
NSCDC prosecutor, T.O. Gbadebo, informed the court that the offence contravened Sections 383(1) and (2) of the Criminal Code Cap 37, Vol. 1, Laws of Ondo State, 2006.
Gbadebo further explained that the complainant, Chinedu, reported the theft to the NSCDC office in Akure on September 2, stating that Godfrey had stolen yams from the farm on two separate occasions. He also noted that the defendant had previously been pardoned by the community for a similar offence.
In delivering judgment, the magistrate sentenced Godfrey to 18 months in prison without the option of a fine.
