A magistrate court in Akure, the Ondo state capital, has sentenced Olushola Olatunde, a 38-year-old bricklayer, to 21 years in jail for stealing from two churches.
Olatunde was arraigned on a six-count charge of illegal entry and theft. He pleaded guilty to all the charges.
The bricklayer was accused of breaking into the premises of two churches and stealing items worth over N1 million.
D.S. Msonter-Shagba, the state prosecutor, told the court that Olatunde broke into the Revelation of God Miracle Church in the Isolo area of Akure in December 2024, stealing a 16-channel live series audio mixer worth N250,000 and a public address system valued at N250,000.
Msonter-Shagba added that the convict also broke into a Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in the Oke Ijebu area of Akure and stole items, including an amplifier, a 6.5kV generator, two lengths of 12mm rods, and an iron tithe box, with an estimated total value of N534,600.
The prosecutor further stated that Olatunde stole 33 bags of cement at the Shasha market along the Akure-Owo road.
Damilola Sekoni, the presiding magistrate, convicted the defendant on all six charges.
“In counts one, two, three, five, and six, the defendant is sentenced to four years’ imprisonment each, and on count four, the convict is sentenced to one-year imprisonment,” Sekoni ruled.
The magistrate clarified that the sentences would run concurrently, meaning the defendant would spend four years in prison.