Friday Okeneji, a pastor in Akure, Nigeria, was given a two-year prison sentence for burglary and theft of chemicals totaling N130,000.
On July 2, 2023, at Iwaro Oka Akoko, Ondo State, Okeneji, the head pastor of a church, was accused of committing the offenses.
The defendant admitted that he committed the crime because he needed to in order to survive, and he pled guilty to the two counts read to him. He claimed to the court that he was compelled to conduct the crime because he was unable to support himself otherwise.
As he put it, “I had to pay N150,000 for my mother’s burial coming up in August and I have no means of getting the money.”
The trial magistrate, Damilola Sekoni, ruled that Okeneji was guilty on both counts and sentenced him to two years in prison with the possibility of a fine of N100,000.
She urged the inmate to begin anew and do the right thing from that point on. She encouraged the inmate to take on the characteristics of a good Christian by working hard and praying often.
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