A 39-year-old press operator, Sheye Idowu, who police accused of breaking into a store and stealing eight bags of Indian white lily rice,  five gallons of groundnut and 75 litres of palm oil all worth N214,200 on Thursday appeared in a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ court in Lagos State.

Idowu, who lives in Imota in Ikorodu area of Lagos, is charged with four counts of conspiracy, breaking-in, willful damage of property and stealing.

The prosecutor, SP Thomas Nurudeen, told the court that the accused and others (at large), committed the offence on Nov 19, about 4.30 a.m. at No. 32, Kusa Str., in Bariga area of Lagos.

Nurudeen said that the store owner, Mrs Abike Balogun, filed the complaint at the Shomolu Police division after she had received a call from a neighbour that her shop had been broken into.

He further stated during investigation, the police apprehended two out of the three accused.

“My Lord, this is not the first time the accused is stealing from that area, that was the area where he learnt to operate industrial printers and stole a printer from his former employer.

“We were able to recover some of the stolen items, hidden in a Volkswagen Golf III with plate No. FST 877 DP, belonging to the accused,” he said.

The offence, he said, contravened the provisions of sections 287, 309, 350 and 411 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015. (Revised).

The accused person, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Chief Magistrate K.B. Ayeye, admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N300,000 with two sureties in like sums.

Ayeye ordered that the sureties must show evidence of three years tax payment to the Lagos Government and be gainfully employed.

He adjourned the case until Jan 24, 2019 for further hearing

–NAN

BE

– Nov. 22, 2018 @ 14:39 GMT |