Nigeria, June 16 -- A Jos Area Court has sentenced two friends, Michael Auta and Gabriel Sunday, to 12 months in prison each for stealing clothing items worth N488,000.

Presiding over the case on Monday, Judge Shawomi Bokkos convicted the duo after they pleaded guilty to the charges. The court, however, offered each of them an option to pay a N50,000 fine in lieu of serving the full jail term.

In addition to the sentence, the judge ordered both convicts to pay N200,000 each as compensation to the complainant. Failure to do so would attract an extra 12 months behind bars.

Earlier, Police Prosecutor Inspector Daniel Damulak told the court that the theft was reported on April 17 at the 'B' Division Police Station by Ms. Gift Ernest, the s...