Two women stand trial in a Kaduna Magistrates’ Court for allegedly trespassing on a local farm and stealing sweet potatoes valued at N310,000, facing multiple years in prison under the state penal code.
Two women have appeared before a Kaduna Magistrates’ Court to face charges over the alleged theft of a major harvest of sweet potatoes valued at N310,000.
The defendants, identified as thirty-six-year-old Vivian Cosmos and thirty-two-year-old Keziah Adamu, were formally arraigned on Thursday by the police on a two-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy and theft.
According to the prosecution, the duo illegally entered a commercial agricultural plot to cart away the valuable tuber crops, leading to their immediate arrest and subsequent prosecution under state laws.
Presenting the case before the court, the Prosecution Counsel, Inspector Chidi Leo, stated that the incident was officially reported to the police by the farm owner, Gideon Musa of the Maraba Rido area in Kaduna.
The prosecutor alleged that the defendants intentionally trespassed on the complainant’s farmland, harvested the sweet potatoes without permission, and planned to dispose of the stolen goods. Inspector Leo further informed the court that during the initial police investigation, the defendants confessed to committing the crime.
He argued that their actions directly violated the established provisions of Sections 58 and 217 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017. Under these legal guidelines, a conviction under Section 58 carries a maximum penalty of a two-year jail term, while a guilty verdict under Section 217 attracts up to five years of imprisonment.
When the charges were read to them in court, both defendants entered a plea of not guilty. Following their plea, the presiding Magistrate, Ibrahim Emmanuel, admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N200,000 each, with two reliable sureties in like sum.
As part of the strict bail conditions, Magistrate Emmanuel ruled that the sureties must reside within the jurisdiction of the court and present verifiable evidence of their tax payments to the Kaduna State Government. Additionally, the court ordered that at least one of the sureties must be a recognized, verified community leader. The case was subsequently adjourned until August 24, 2026, for a full hearing.
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