A Magistrates’ Court in Kano on Thursday sentenced a trader, Mu’ammar Getso, to 18 months imprisonment for ”stealing ” 5,500 kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity from the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO).

Mr Getso, who lives in Janbulo Quarters Kano, pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal conspiracy and energy theft.

Delivering judgement, Magistrate Sakina Yusuf, sentenced the convict to six months or an option to pay a fine of N20,000 for theft.

Mr Yusuf also ordered the convict to pay KEDCO, N101,250 in compensation or spend one year imprisonment.

Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Special Investigation and Prosecution Task force on Electricity Offences (SIPTEO), Aliyu Bamalli, told the court that the defendant conspired with his younger brother, Suleiman, now at large and consumed electricity 5,500 KWH of energy for 15 months without payment.

The offence, he said, contravened the provisions of sections 97 and 286 (2) of Penal Code.

(NAN)