As the economic hardship in the country continues to bite harder, a Magistrates’ Court in Jos, the Plateau state capital, on Wednesday, sentenced a trader, Zih Davou, to 18 months imprisonment for stealing a he-goat from a man’s house.

The magistrate, Shawomi Bokkos, summarily tried and sentenced the convict after he pleaded guilty to the charge.

Bokkos, in his judgment, ordered the convict to pay a N50,000 fine or one year in prison and a compensation of N50,000 or six months in prison in default.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Inspector Ijuptil Thiawur, told the court that the case was reported on Monday, August 19, 2024, at the “B” Division police station by one Fawole Ayodeji.

Thiawur said that the convicts broke into the complainant’s house and stole the goat valued at N 100,000.

“The same convict had been arrested before for stealing 15 measures of rice, 10 measures of fertiliser and a bundle of zinc from this same house,’’ he added.