The Jos Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday sentenced a 38-year-old driver, Usman Abdulkarim, to one year in prison for stealing 1050 litres of petrol worth N977,000.
The magistrate, Shawomi Bokkos, summarily tried and sentenced Abdulkarim after he pleaded guilty to theft.
The magistrate, however, gave the convict an option to pay N50,000.
He ordered the convict to pay compensation of N320,000 or another to spend six months imprisonment in default.
Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Insp Ibrahim Gokwat, told the court that the case was reported on July 5 at the Laranto Police Station by one Abdullahi Usman the complaint.
The prosecutor said the convict who was put in charge of the petrol stole the fuel to sell.
The prosecutor said Mr Abdulkarim confessed to having committed the crime.
According to him, the offence is punishable under the Plateau state Penal Code Law.