Abuja Court Orders Cable Thief to Sweep Mosque for One Month

An Abuja Magistrate Court has reportedly sentenced a man to one month of community service after he was found guilty of stealing electrical cables valued at about ₦2 million from a mosque in the Wuse II area of the Federal Capital Territory.

According to reports circulating on social media on Wednesday, the convict was ordered to sweep the premises of the mosque daily for one month as part of the sentence handed down by the court.

The incident reportedly involved the theft of electrical cables and related installations from the mosque, an act said to have disrupted activities at the worship centre before the suspect was apprehended and arraigned.

Though full court documents and official judicial statements were not immediately available as of press time, multiple online reports identified the punishment as a form of community service tied directly to the affected mosque.

The unusual sentence has sparked mixed reactions online, with some Nigerians describing the judgment as corrective and symbolic, while others questioned whether the punishment matches the value of the stolen property.

Community service sentencing has increasingly featured in some lower court rulings across Nigeria, especially in cases involving non-violent offences, with magistrates sometimes opting for restorative punishments instead of custodial sentences.

Abuja remains Nigeria’s administrative capital and home to several magistrate and high courts handling criminal and civil matters across the FCT.