Ondo man gets one year in prison for stealing tomatoes

By Boye Oyeyemi

An Akure Magistrate’s Court in Ondo State has sentenced a 26-year-old man, Samuel Douglass, to one year in prison for stealing four baskets of tomatoes worth N140,000.

Douglass was prosecuted by the police after he allegedly diverted the tomatoes entrusted to him by his employer and disposed of them for his personal benefit.

The incident occurred in July 2026, around 6am, at Fourth Gate, Afunbiowo Estate, Akure, within the jurisdiction of the court.

According to the prosecution, Douglass had been directed by his employer, Abimbola Akintomide, to deliver the four baskets of tomatoes to a driver at Ilesa Garage.

The prosecutor, Taiwo Oniyere, told the court that instead of delivering the produce, the defendant allegedly sold it and kept the proceeds for himself.

Douglass was arraigned before Magistrate Olusola Olujobi on a one-count charge of stealing, an offence said to be contrary to Section 390(6) of the Criminal Code, Cap. 37, Vol. 1, Laws of Ondo State, 2006.

He pleaded guilty to the charge, while his counsel, Adeluyi Segun, appealed to the court for leniency, describing him as a young first-time offender and requesting an option of fine.

In her ruling, Magistrate Olujobi sentenced Douglass to 12 months’ imprisonment and ordered him to pay N140,000 as compensation to the complainant, adding that failure to pay the money would attract the jail term.