By Abimbola Ogunnaike
A 32-year-old man, Usman Tijani on Monday, 3 April, 2023 arraigned before a Kado Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice Muhammed Wakili for allegedly stealing his friend’s mobile phone valued at N470,000.
The police charged Tijani of Garki village, Abuja, with theft.
The prosecution counsel, Stanley Nwafoaku said on March 24, the complainant, Fatima Mohammed of Kano State, reported the matter at the Wuse divisional police headquarters, Zone 3.
Nwafoaku alleged that the defendant called the complainant to meet him at Rodzee hotel, Wuse, Zone 5, Abuja and while they were together, the complainant decided to go and take her bath.
According to him, while Mohammed was taking her bath, Tijani criminally stole her Iphone Promax, valued at N470,000 and left the hotel.
He alleged that the complainant noticed her phone was missing when she came out of the bathroom and immediately alerted security officials who arrested the defendant.
The prosecution counsel also told the court that during police investigation, the defendant admitted to having stolen the phone, adding that the offence contravened section 287 of the penal code law.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The defence counsel, Charity Nwosu, made a bail application for the defendant in the most liberal terms.
Nwosu made the application, citing sections 36 of the 1999 constitution and sections 158 of the Administration of the Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, and promised that the defendants would not jump bail if granted.
The prosecution counsel, however, did not object to the bail application made by the defence counsel.
Justice Wakili admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N200,000 and one surety each in like sum, just as he also ordered that the surety must provide a BVN printout, a recent passport photograph and a valid identification card, which must be verified by the court registrar.
The Judge adjourned the case to May 23,2023 for further hearing.
