41-year-old man steals hand drier, laptop

source :.punch news

A 41-year-old man, Chinie Okonkwo, has been arraigned before the Oshodi Magistrate’s Court for stealing a hand drier and laptop belonging to Anyira Ekene.

The count against him was that on March 4, 2013, at house 1/3, Nkanna Street, Palmgrove in Lagos, did steal a hand drier valued at N4,000 and a laptop valued at N55,000, property of Ekene and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 285 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

Police prosecutor, Mr. Kehinde Olatunde, stated that Okonkwo went to the aforementioned address to steal the items and ran away.

He added that the suspect was pursued by neighbours around but all efforts to catch him proved abortive.

On April 23, 2013, the suspect went to the same house under the pretence of looking for a room to rent. He was easily identified, arrested and taken to the police station.

Ekene claimed that things have been missing in her house and that because of that, she became inquisitive.

She said on that day, she had seen the man come out of the corridor of her house, so she had gone to him to ask who he was and what he wanted.

She said the man had replied, “I am looking for Calabar people.”

“I walked into my room and found out that the position in which I left my house key had been moved, my room was scattered. I searched my house and my hand drier was gone.

“He came around again on the April 23 to tell a different story from the other one he had said before; it was on that day that he was arrested and taken to the station,” she said.

The accused, who lives at number 22, Idida Street, Surulere, Lagos, explained that he was a political science graduate of the University of Nigeria and had been into business since he graduated.

He said, “I went to the house to seek accommodation, but I did not see the agent in charge of the house. The allegation against me is not true as I did not steal any drier or laptop in the house.

“Although, I did ask someone in the house to give me a nylon bag to carry something, it wasn’t the stolen drier or laptop. I went to the house on April 23 to seek accommodation again and as I got there, I was arrested by the tenants and taken to the station.”

Okonkwo, however, pleaded not guilty to all the counts against him.

The court magistrate, Mr. A.A. Fashola, granted the suspect bail in the sum of N100,000 with an evidence of three years’ tax clearance. He adjourned the case till May 30, 2013.