Man jailed for stealing N200,000 worth of tomatoes in Ondo

By Boye Oyeyemi

An Akure Chief Magistrate’s Court has sentenced Ayomide Abiodun to one year in prison for stealing fresh tomatoes worth N200,000 from a farm in Ondo State.

Abiodun was arraigned by the Ondo State Government on a two-count charge of stealing and pleaded guilty to the offences before the court.

The prosecutor, Olusegun Akeredolu, told the court that Abiodun unlawfully entered JK Farm in Ilu Abo, Akure, on July 28, 2026, and stole two crates of fresh tomatoes valued at N100,000 belonging to Kolawole Ogunleye.

Akeredolu further told the court that Abiodun returned to the same farm on July 30 and stole two more crates of tomatoes worth N100,000, bringing the total value of the stolen produce to N200,000.

According to the prosecutor, the offences contravened Sections 383 and 390(9) of the Criminal Code, Cap. 37, Volume 1, Laws of Ondo State, 2006.

Following his guilty plea, Chief Magistrate Danlola Sekoni convicted Abiodun on both counts and sentenced him to one year in prison on each count, with the sentences to run concurrently.

However, the court also ordered Abiodun to pay N200,000 in compensation to the farm owner as an alternative to serving the custodial sentence.

The ruling brings the case to a close after the court found Abiodun guilty of stealing the four crates of tomatoes during his two visits to the farm.