Ado-Ekiti Court Jails 22-Year-Old for Stealing Seven Chickens

A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced a 22-year-old man, Sunday Gmaed, to three months in prison for stealing seven chickens worth ₦57,000 from a poultry farm.

The sentence was handed down by Chief Magistrate Kehinde Awosika after the defendant changed his plea to guilty and begged the court for leniency. The court, however, gave him the option of paying a ₦30,000 fine in lieu of imprisonment.

According to the prosecution, led by Inspector Elijah Adejare, the offence took place on the morning of June 28 at a poultry farm located in Odo village, along Ilawe Road in Ado-Ekiti.

Gmaed was said to have cut through the poultry net to access the birds and then strangled them before making away with the stolen livestock.

The prosecutor told the court that the act violated Section 302(1)(a) of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021.

Gmaed was first arraigned on July 2 and pleaded not guilty, after which he was granted bail. However, when the case came up again on July 11, he reversed his plea and admitted to the crime, pleading for mercy.