Spiritual battle led me to steal — Ondo convict
By Boye Oyeyemi
A 42-year-old man, Jimoh Tajudeen, has blamed what he described as a spiritual battle for his involvement in stealing, shortly before an Akungba-Akoko Magistrate’s Court in Ondo State sentenced him to prison.
Tajudeen was convicted on a two-count charge bordering on stealing an Infinix Hot 60i mobile phone valued at ₦150,000 and unlawfully possessing three other mobile phones.
The stolen mobile phone belonged to Daisi Joseph, while the other phones recovered from the defendant were an Itel A50, a Tecno phone without an International Mobile Equipment Identity number and a Tecno Camon 17.
According to the prosecutor, Inspector Olasunkanmi Boboye, the offences were committed around 2 p.m. on March 16, 2026, in Akungba-Akoko.
Boboye told the court that Tajudeen failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for his possession of the phones. He added that the offences contravened Section 430 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 37, Volume I, Laws of Ondo State, 2006.
During the proceedings, Tajudeen reportedly maintained that his actions were not deliberate, attributing his involvement in stealing to what he described as a spiritual battle.
In his judgment, Magistrate Kolapo Kolawole sentenced the defendant to three years’ imprisonment for stealing and three months for unlawful possession of the other phones.
The sentences followed Tajudeen’s conviction on both counts. However, the available account does not indicate whether the court ordered the terms to run concurrently or consecutively.
