By Romanus Okoye, Lagos
A teenager, Timothy Oladele, has appeared before Ikeja Magistrate’s Court over alleged conspiracy and armed robbery. The police charged the teenager along with Babangida Abubakar, 25.
The prosecutor, Insp Emmanuel Ajayi, told the court presided over by Magistrate AS Odusanya that the defendants, who live at Iyana-Iba, Ojo, Lagos State, committed the offences on June 2. He said the defendants robbed Mr Gabriel Onwujiuba of his belongings.
‘The complainant was going home from work when the defendants attacked him with cutlasses and dispossessed him of his property,’ he said. ‘They robbed him of his phone valued at N50,000, a bag containing United Bank for Africa (UBA) Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card, voter card, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate and other certificates. When the defendants were arrested, the complainant identified them as those who robbed him.’
The alleged offences contravene sections 297 and 299 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 and section 297 prescribes 21 years’ jail term for armed robbery.
They pleaded not guilty to the offences. The magistrate granted them N200, 000 bail each with two sureties each in like sum.
She said that the sureties must be gainfully employed and show evidence of two years’ tax payment to Lagos State Government and adjourned the case till July 15 for a substantive hearing.