19th July, 2020
By Paul Iyoghojie
The Igbosere Chief Magistrate’s Court, Lagos has remanded six Lagos Islanders in police custody for stealing goods worth N51,354,100.
The goods belonged to two complainants.
Police charged the suspects with five counts of conspiracy, burglary and stealing on Friday.
Police alleged that four of the suspects, Teslim Adebambo, 43; Gbolahan Olawepo, 52; Olarewaju Olawepo, 50, and Folorunsho Ganiu, 34, stole the goods between 2015 and 2020.
Adebambo operates a sport viewing centre on the island.
According to police, two other suspects, Tochukwu Ugwu, 34, and Kazeem Shekoni, 40, received some of the stolen goods.
Ugwu received goods valued at N1,000,000, while Shekoni got goods worth N575,000.
Police Counsel, Cyriacus Osuji, informed the court that the accused persons committed the offence, usually at midnight between 2015 and 2020 at a warehouse at 39 Docemo Street, Lagos Island.
Osuji said the first accused, Adebambo, a sports viewing centre operator in the area led three others to steal the goods over five years.
They carried out the theft by using ladders to climb to the third floor where the warehouses are located.
He said they used instruments to remove the wooden planks that demarcated the two warehouses to gain access to steal the goods.
Osuji added that Adebambo and Olawepo sold some of the goods to the two receivers for N1,575,000.
Other buyers of the stolen goods are still at large.
Osuji said nemesis caught up with the accused persons when the two complainants stumbled on their stolen goods inside the market.
They reported to the police. This led to the arrest of the six suspects.
Osuji said the offences were punishable under sections 411, 287 and 328(2) (b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
All the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Magistrate A.O Erile granted Adebambo and three others N1m bail each with two sureties each.
Ugwu and Shekoni were granted N500,000 bail each with two sureties in like sum.
Erile adjourned the case till 13 August 2020 for mention.
He ordered that the defendants be detained at Area ‘A: Command in compliance with the COVID-19 protocols till they perfected the bail conditions.