A Wuse Zone 2 Senior Magistrates’ Court yesterday sentenced a mechanic, Prince Abiege,33, to four months in prison for escaping from a vehicle conveying him to prison.
Abiege of Opposite Tipper Garage, Zuba, FCT, is charged with escaping from lawful custody.
The Magistrate, Mr Mohammed Anka, sentenced Abiege after he pleaded guilty to the charge.
Anka, however, gave him an option of N4,000 fine.
He said that the sentence was to punish the convict and a deterrent to other people intending to escape from police or prison custody.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Sgt. Abdullahi Alhassan, told the court that on April 17, at about 3 p.m., the convict escaped from the vehicle that was conveying him to the Keffi Prison, Nassarawa state.
He said that the convict was being taken to prison custody after arraignment for criminal force and assault before another court.
He pleaded not guilty.
“While they were on their way to the prison, along the Abuja-Keffi expressway, the convict forcefully opened the door of the vehicle and escaped while in handcuffs,’’ Alhassan said.
According to the prosecutor, the prison warder in charge of the convict, Insp. ZittaWilfred, ran after the convict but could not catch up with him.
He informed the court that the convict was later arrested by the police on April 18 near Zuba, while he was trying to leave town.
Alhassan said that escaping from lawful custody was contrary to section 172 of the Penal Code.(NAN)
