Abuja, Feb. 14, 2023: A Grade I Area Court in Karu, Abuja, on Tuesday sentenced a scavenger, Musa Mohammed, for stealing a quilted blanket worth N50,000.
The police charged Mohammed, 26 and Najeeb Abdul with criminal conspiracy and theft.
Mohammed pleaded guilty and begged for leniency but Abdul pleaded not guilty and was admitted to bail.
The Judge, Mr Umar Mayana, gave Mohammed an option to pay a fine of N100,000.
Mayana revoked the bail granted to Abdul and issued a bench warrant with notice to the sureties.
He also adjourned the case until March 8 for a hearing.
Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Mr Olanrewaju Osho told the court that on Jan. 12, the defendants were arrested around Asokoro.
During the police investigation, Osho said the defendants could not give satisfactory accounts of themselves.
He told the court that the matter was reported at Asokoro Police Station by Doris Okimba, a police officer attached to Galadimawa police station.
The offence, Osho added, contravened the provisions of sections 97 and 288 of the Penal Code.
The defendants, however, pleaded guilty to the charge.
Also, in another development, a 22- year-old labourer, Joshua John, on Tuesday, appeared before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court charged with stealing N332,500, property of his employer
The defendant, who resides at No.1, Fadare St., Ogba, Lagos, pleaded not guilty to the charge of stealing.
The prosecutor, Insp Glory Goodday told the court that John allegedly committed the offence on Dec. 12 at LAWIZA Ventures Company Ltd, located at 51/52 Williams Plaza, Ogba.
The prosecutor said that a sales executive in the company directed the defendant to go and deposit the sum of N332,500 into the company’s bank account.
Goodday said that the defendant, however, absconded with the money and all efforts to recover the amount from him failed.
The offence, according to the prosecutor, contravened Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The Magistrate, Mrs O. O Odufuye, granted the defendant N200,000 bail with two sureties in like sum.
Odufuye adjourned the case until March 3 for mention.
