A Sharia Court in Minna on Thursday sentenced a labourer, Hamisu Umar, to 20 strokes of cane for stealing a mobile phone.

The presiding judge, Ahmed Bima, also sentenced Umar to six months in prison, with an option to pay a fine of N10,000.

Umar, who was charged with theft, pleaded guilty and begged the court for leniency.

The Police Prosecutor, Insp. Cletus Ibrahim, told the court that Mallam Mamman Wakili, a vigilante, arrested and brought Umar to the Kpakungu Police Station on April 13.

Ibrahim said Umar illegally entered the house of one Ahmadu Abdulrasheed at Kpakungu and stole his phone.

He said that the offence contravened the provisions of Section 143 of the Sharia Penal Code of Niger State.

The prosecutor thereafter prayed the court to try him summarily in line with Section 157 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

(NAN)