Man pleads guilty to stabbing seller over N200 cup of tea, remanded for sentence

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August 30, 2017 3:11 PM

The Magistrate, Mr J.A. Adigun, said Umar should be kept behind bars at Kirikiri Prisons pending sentence.

An Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Wednesday differed the sentencing of a man, Haruna Umar, until Sept. 11 after he pleaded guilty to stabbing a man over a cup of beverage worth N200.

According to the Prosecutor, Sgt. Godwin Awase, the accused committed the offence on Aug. 14 at Ladoje, Oko-Oba, Agege, a Lagos suburb.

Awase said the accused assaulted Mr Salisu Sanni by stabbing him with a bottle on his head when the complainant demanded N200 being the cost of the beverage.

“The accused bought a cup of beverage worth N200 from the complainant, who is a beverage seller, and after drinking the beverage, the complainant asked for his money but the accused refused to pay."

“Instead, he brought out a broken bottle and threatened to stab Sanni should he prevent him from leaving his shop."

“The complainant blocked him and insisted on collecting his money, the accused carried out his threat and stabbed him."

“When blood was gushing out of the complainant’s head, the accused took to his heels but Umar was arrested by eyewitnesses, who handed him over to the police,” the prosecutor said.

The offence contravened Section 173 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. (Revised)

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the section prescribes a three-year jail term for assault occasioning harm.

In his plea before the court, the accused attributed the anger to the handiwork of the devil and urged the court forleniency.

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