Friday Okeneji, a presiding pastor of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in Iwaro Oka Akoko, Ondo State, has been sentenced to two years in prison.
The Akure Magistrate Court found him guilty of stealing chemical substances valued at N130,000.
Magistrate Damilola Sekoni presided over the case and convicted Okeneji on charges of breaking and entering, as well as theft.
During the trial, the convict pleaded guilty and expressed his desperate need for funds to cover his mother’s burial expenses in August.
He confessed that his lack of income pushed him to commit the crime. In response, Magistrate Sekoni gave him the option to pay a N100,000 fine instead of serving the prison term.
However, while handing down the sentence, Magistrate Sekoni advised Okeneji to embrace the values of hard work.
The magistrate urged him to use this experience as an opportunity to turn his life around and become a better person.
