Shari’ah Court convicts 2 women for stealing passport

Malumfashi (Katsina)-  A Malumfashi Shari’ah Court in Katsina State has sentenced two women, A’isha Abdullahi and Rashida Musa to 30 months imprisonment each for stealing an international passport.
The convicts were, however, given an option of N3,000 fine each.

Abdullahi, 52, and Musa, 38, of Bakin-Kasuwa and Hayin-Majidadi in Malumfashi town respectively, were convicted for stealing an e-passport belonging to one Lami Abubakar in her house at Malumfashi.

The Police Prosecutor, Cpl. Garba Magaji, had earlier told the court that Abubakar kept her handbag containing the e-passport with number 0129188 in her room on July 16.

Magaji said that Abubakar went out leaving the two women in the room, adding that when she returned, she discovered that the passport had been stolen.

The prosecutor said she alerted the police, who arrested the women and charged them to court for criminal conspiracy and theft.

He said that the alleged offences contravened sections 120 and 135 of Shari’ah laws of Katsina state.
When the case was first mentioned on July 20, the women, who pleaded not guilty, refused to swear by the Qur’an to prove their innocence as demanded by the judge, Alhaji Umaru Yusuf.

The judge had said that the oath was the only way out since neither of them called any witness to give evidence in their favour.

Convicting them, the judge said they had failed to defend themselves against the allegations, adding that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt as required in law.