BY AUSTIN OGWUDA
ASABA— AN Asaba Chief
Magistrate’s Court has sentenced
head storekeeper attached to
Millennium Development Goals,
MDGs, office Asaba and his
assistant to 24 years
imprisonment for stealing
treated mosquito nets.
The nets were procured by the
Federal Government for six states
in the South-South geo-political
zone and kept in the warehouse.
Jailed were Mr. Mike Okonkwo,
Head of Store, MDGs office, Asaba
and Mrs. Finecountry Tracy, his
assistant.
Incidentally, the businessman,
who purchased the nets from
the storekeepers, Ugwu Joseph,
jumped bail during trial and was
still at large when the judgment
was delivered, Monday.
Delivering judgment, Chief
Magistrate S. C. Ehikwe sentenced
the storekeeper and his assistant
to three years imprisonment
with hard labour on each of the
four counts for which they were
found guilty. Sentences are,
however, to run concurrently.
The magistrate also ordered that:
“The police is urged to intensify
their efforts to get Ugwu
Ugochukwu arrested as the
bench warrant issued for his
arrest and his surety to show
cause was extended.
“When arrested, warrant to serve
his jail term would be signed in
line with the terms of the second
and third accused persons. It is
further ordered that his surety
wherever found should be
arrested to face his own charge.”
Counsel to the third accused, Mr.
F. N. Monye had pleaded for
“utmost leniency,” saying that
third accused is a housewife and
urged the court to be lenient
with her, same for the second
accused he claimed that he was a
victim of circumstance.
The court, however, noted that:
“The issue of mercy and leniency
depends on the nature of the
case. Those who are privileged to
be entrusted with the welfare of
the less privileged should regard
such a responsibility as a sacred
duty bestowed on them by God.”
“Denying the less privileged the
benefit of health care which is
the only way the government can
get to them is not only a sin
against humanity but a crime
against God. Such people do not
deserve mercy. The punishment
is to serve as a deterrent to
others.”
Prosecution had told the court in
one of the charges that; “You
Ugwu Ugochukwu (male) Mike
Okonkwo (male) and Finecountry
Tracy (female) on or about the
month of June, 2011 at
Millennium Development Goals
warehouse located at the back of
the Police Headquarters Asaba
within the Asaba magisterial
district stole 100 balls of treated
mosquito nets valued six million
naira, two baby weighing scales
valued one hundred thousand
naira property of Federal
Republic of Nigeria under the
custody of MDG Delta State and
thereby committed an offence
punishable under Section 390(9)
of the Criminal

"Denying the less privileged the benefit of health care which is the only way the government can get to them is not only a sin against humanity but a crime against God. Such people do not deserve mercy. The punishment is to serve as a deterrent to others.”