Ondo Man Sentenced to 21 Years for Church Property Theft

In Akure, Ondo State, a magistrate court sentenced 38-year-old bricklayer Olushola Olatunde to 21 years in prison for breaking into a church and taking N1,340,900 worth of goods, including an iron tithe box.

Olatunde was charged with breaking and entering without permission and stealing, among other six counts. Although he entered a guilty plea to the charges, he requested leniency.

Olatunde committed the offenses in Akure at various times and places between December 24, 2024, and January 8, 2025, according to the state prosecutor, D.S. Msonter-Shagba, who testified in court.

On December 24, 2024, Olatunde broke into the Revelation of God Miracle Church at No. 17 Plaza Road, Isolo, Akure, according to Msonter-Shagba. He took a public speaker system priced at N250,000 and a 16-channel live series audio mixer worth N250,000.

Similar to this, on December 8, 2024, he broke into the Garden of Faith (CAC) Church at No. 7 Ore-Ofe Street, Oke Ijebu, Akure, and took N534,600 worth of goods, including an iron tithe box worth N35,000, two lengths of 12mm rods worth N19,600, a 6.5kV generator worth N250,000, and an amplifier worth N230,000.

The prosecutor further disclosed that Olatunde stole 33 bags of cement worth N306,900 from Shasha Market, Kilometre 12, Owo highway, Akure, on December 24, 2024. N1,340,900 was the total worth of the stolen goods.

Sections 383, 390(9), 415, and 413(2) of the Criminal Code, Laws of Ondo State, 2006, were violated, according to Msonter-Shagba, who asked the court to convict the defendant.

In light of this, Magistrate Damilola Sekoni found Olatunde guilty and sentenced him to 21 years in prison without the possibility of a fine.

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“The convicted individual is sentenced to four years imprisonment in counts one, two, three, five, and six, and one year imprisonment in count four,” Sekoni said.

Olatunde will spend four years behind bars, though, as the sentences will be served concurrently.