An electrician and a security guard were on Wednesday brought before a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for allegedly stealing from a woman’s handbag.
The defendants, David Udoh, 41 and Gideon Peter, 20, are facing one-count charge of stealing.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The prosecutor, Sgt. Modupe Olaluwoye, told the court that the defendants committed the offence at 1:00am on Feb. 3, at No. 44, Okunola-Aine St., Mende area of Maryland, Lagos.
Olaluwoye said that the defendants had assisted the complainant, Mrs Bobo Ataga, to carry her new mattress into her bedroom.
She said that Ataga left the defendants in the leaving room and went to set up her room and slept off.
The prosecutor stated that when the complainant was getting ready for work in the morning, she noticed that some items were missing from her handbag.
Olaluwoye listed the stolen items to include two gold earrings, one gold bracelet, two gold bangles, one gold ring, two wristwatches, a Zenith bank token and an Access bank token.
Also missing were an Acorn petroleum Identification card, a Lubcorn identification card, office entrance keys and cash of N6,700; total value of N550,000.
She said offence contravened Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 287 stipulates three years imprisonment for stealing.
Chief Magistrate Oluwatoyin Oghere admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N250,000 each with two sureties each in like sum.
Oghere said that the sureties must reside within the court’s jurisdiction and be gainfully employed, with evidence of three years’ tax payment to the Lagos State Government.
The case was adjourned until April 21, for mention.