By Christopher Oji
A driver who absconded with his employer’s Lexus SUV three days after he was employed has been sentenced to two weeks community service.
But his employer, a legal practitioner, Austin Abhulimen has questioned the manner in which the suspect was charged to court by the Police at the Ikeja division of the Lagos State Police command without his knowledge.
The lawyer, who suspected foul play has, therefore, called on the State commissioner of Police, Mr Hakeem Odumosu, to order fresh investigation into the case.
The convict, Victor Uche, who allegedly drove the SUV with number plate: JJJ 510 GA, from the Nigeria Bar Association premises of the Lagos High court, Ikeja, was arrested in Abuja by men of the Anti- Vehicle Theft of the FCT command, three weeks later.
The SUV was reportedly repainted from grey to navy blue colour and renumbered, at the time it was recovered.
A laptop, two Samsung tablets and a mobile telephone belonging to the lawyer, Austin Abhulimen, were also recovered in the SUV.
The suspect was transferred from Abuja to Ikeja Police division, where he had been detained until May 20, 2021, when he was tried and sentenced to two weeks community service by a Magistrate.
Expressing surprise at the manner the suspect was released and the light sentence slammed on him, owner of the recovered vehicle lamented that: “I was not given notice of the arraignment and trial, no notice of the charge, except to be told of the two weeks community service given as punishment to a habitual cross border and inter-state rogue.
“I cannot fathom any reason for such a ridiculous trial and sentence for a man that stole my automobile valued at N8 million, destroyed my case files, my laptop and two Samsung tablets. This is nothing but mockery of the judicial process.”
He, therefore, called on police authorities at the Zone 2 Command, Onikan, and the Lagos state Commissioner of Police to revisit the investigation and trial, with a view to fishing out other suspects who assisted Uche to forge a fake number plate and repainted the vehicle.