MICHAEL AKINOLA
It was a sigh of relief for residents of Abesan Housing Estate, Ipaja area of Lagos State, following the arrest of a 63-year old man, Frank Dike and his wife, Cordelia Dike, 50, who allegedly formed a robbery gang and had been terrorizing people in the area.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the couple, Frank and Cordelia, was said to have formed the gang and specialized in burglary and stealing of properties in the area through the aid of children.
The Delta State-born couple was said to have been in the business of breaking and entry for a very long and was invading houses and stealing their valuable items without being caught because their mode of operation was basically in the day time, when most parents had gone to work and left their children at home.
However, the whole robbery incident got exposed when Cordelia went to the estate in the day time, burgled two houses belonging to Mrs. Doyin Ogunbiade and Mrs. Adewunmi Dada and carted away various items worth millions of Naira.
Some of the items included jewelries, wrist watches and cash worth over N1.5m belonging to the victims. While Mrs. Cordelia was trying to escape, one of the owners of the properties accosted her and she immediately contacted her husband as a ploy to escape.
However, the residents held her and handed her over to the Police at Ipaja Division for interrogation. It was during the investigation that she implicated her husband, Frank, as a member of her gang.
Thus, both were arrested and charged before the Ejigbo Magistrates Court for conspiracy and stealing.
There was a mild drama at the Court after the prosecutor, Supol Benedict Aigbokhan, identified Cordelia Dike and informed the Court that she had similar matter before the same Court when she resided in Ejigbo before the complainant withdrew the matter and they packed out to Abesan Estate, where they committed similar offence.
She admitted to have been charged before the Court and after the matter, she relocated to Ipaja, where they were arrested for similar crimes in the area.
They pleaded not guilty.
The prosecutor, Supol Aigbokhan, then asked the Court to give a date for hearing since they pleaded not guilty to enable the Police to prove that they actually committed the alleged offence.
The Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. A.K. Ariyo, granted them bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum, who must show evidence of means of livelihood .
They were remanded in custody at the Correctional Centre at Kirikiri town, Lagos, pending when they will perfect their bail conditions while the matter was adjourned till 2nd March, 2023, for mention.
View Comments
They are living next to my street they have cause alot of autrocity over here and their children