Tears rolled freely from the eyes of 7 dreaded Shila Boys when the Chief Magistrate Court II sitting in Yola, Adamawa state pronounced their conviction to 3 -5 years in prison for various offences.
While some of them were convicted and sentenced with an option of fine, others were not due to the gravity of offences upon which they were tried and convicted.
The convicts were arraigned before Magistrate Japhet Ibrahim Basani, led Magistrate Court on Thursday, on various offences ranging from criminal conspiracy, theft, extortion, criminal force and several others.
Those convicted include; Usman Ibrahim (Abbati) 17, Fa’ad Mohammed, 18, Abubakar Alfa,18, Iliyasu Dahiru, 15, Ahmed Bamanga,18, Nurudeen Ya’u (Dandada), 18, and Abba Dahiru, 18, and were sentenced to 5, 3, 4, 3, 4, 4 and 4 years in prison.
Earlier, the convicts who were separately tried, admitted committing the offences after which the prosecution counsel, M. A. Adamu, applied for summary trial and tendered exhibits including cutlasses, touch light and a face mask as well as witnesses who corroborated the plea of the defendants and now convicts.
Jambbama reporter gathered that the convicts who hail from various places within Jimeta in Yola North Local Government Area, pleaded guilty to the offences, saying they had actually committed the crime around Luggere, Nasarawo, Demsawo, Layin Shinco, Zango Street, Jambutu among other places.
They further admitted using cutlasses, knives and other dangerous weapons in attacking and confiscating handsets, hand bags and stealing other valuables in the houses of their victims, and that all the handsets they snatched were sold.
One of the convicts, Usman Ibrahim popularly known as Abbati, was the one that masterminded an attack on the personnel of the Department of Security Service (DSS) names withheld who nearly die as result of a severe injury he sustained on his stomarch.
The Personnel who also testified in court, narrated that he entered Keke NAPEP(Tricycle) at Bishop street in Jimeta unknown to him that the tricyclist and other boys in the keke were Shila boys until when they started attacking him, saying that he immediately identified himself as DSS personnel, and they told him that he was the right person they were looking for.
He said that they attacked him with a sharp object, snatched 2 of his phones and pushed him out of the NAPEP even when it was on speed, and dragged him on the road during which he sustained very serious injury on his stomarch.
According to him, the money he spent on his treatment(scanning, surgery and drugs) and the value of his phones, shoes and cap stood at N128, 000.
Delevering its judgement on the cases, the court presided by Magistrate Japhet Ibrashim Basani, declared that the court had found them guilty of offences considering their plea, exhibits tendered and the testimonies of the witnesses who corroborated their plea.
Magistrate Basani, held that their sentences would have been more than that, but it had considered their plea for leniency and their age bracket, saying that any party that is not satisfied with the verdict has the right to appeal the judgement.
The young boys were weeping profusely as well regretting their actions when the court was pronouncing their sentences.