A Senior Magistrates' Court at Life Camp in Abuja on Wednesday sentenced two men, Umaru Faruk and Lawali Yau'u, to two months and three months in prison respectively for stealing.
Faruk, 23 and a security guard who resides at Beriberi village in Abuja, was sentenced to two months' imprisonment with an option to pay a N2,000 fine.
Yau'u, who is 22 and a labourer at Jabi Masalachi, also in Abuja, was sentenced to three months imprisonment with the option of paying a N3,000 fine.
The Senior Magistrate, Mrs Idayat Akanni, convicted the accused persons after they had pleaded guilty to the two-count charge of joint act and theft.
The convicts, who were charged with stealing 17 bags of cement, however pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy and promised not to steal again.
Delivering her judgment, the magistrate said: "Though you both begged for leniency, you must be punished to serve as a deterrent not only to you but to other offenders.''
Earlier, the police prosecutor, Cpl. Simon Emmanuel, had told the court that Mr Emmanuel Akudo of Lugbe Federal Housing Estate in Abuja had lodged a complaint against the accused persons.
He said the report was lodged at the Life Camp Police Station on July 4.
Emmanuel said Faruk, who was a security guard at a building site, had on the said day at about 8.30 a.m. stolen 17 bags of cement from a store house.
He said Faruk had handed over the stolen items to Yau'u for sale.
The prosecutor said 13 of the stolen cement bags were recovered from the two convicts during police investigation