The police on Tuesday arraigned a 23-year-old man, Shuaibu Abdulkareem, before an Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrates’ Court for alleged theft of a cell phone, facing a one-charge of stealing preferred against him.
The prosecutor, Inspector Bankole Olasunkanmi, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on August 5 at about 0900hrs opposite Ado Grammar School, Odo Ado in Ado-Ekiti. The Ekiti State capital.
He alleged that the defendant stole one Infinix Hot 8 Lite phone, valued at N36,000, belonging to one Oyinlade Opeyemi; adding that the defendant, who was an Okada ride, carried the complainant to Odo Ado to fill his cylinder.
He added that the complainant told the defendant to hold his phone for him as he wanted to alight from the motorcycle with the cylinder, while the defendant zoomed off immediately with the phone.
He said the defendant had sold the phone and the police are tracing the phone.
The prosecutor averred that the offence contravened Section 390(9) of the Criminal Code, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012; and asked the court for adjournment to enable him to study the case file and present his witnesses.
Pleading not guilty to the charge, the defendant, through his counsel, Mr Seun Oyebanji, urged the court to grant him bail, with a promise that he would not jump bail.
The Chief Magistrate, Mr Adedayo Oyebanji, granted bail to the defendant in the sum of N50,000 with a surety in like sum.
Oyebanji said the surety must provide a landed property or a level 5 officer in the civil service; and thereafter adjourned the case until September 20 for hearing.
