Man Caught Inside Church Attempting To Steal From The Offering Box

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

A 20-year old man, Anthony Okafor, has been arrested after he allegedly broke into a Church in search of the offering box in order to steal money for Valentine’s Day celebration and was caught in the act.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the incident happened at First African Church, located at Odi-Olowo area of Mushin, Lagos. 

According to Police sources, the suspect Anthony, sneaked into the church looking for money but when he did not find any, he decided to steal the church’s power generating set and other valuables to sell.
However, while he was attempting to escape, the security men on duty caught him and then handed him to the Police.

During interrogation at the Police station, he revealed that he went into the church to steal money but when he did not find any, he decided to steal other items before he was caught.

The Police found him culpable and subsequently charged him before the Ebute Metta Magistrate Court for the alleged offence, which attracts several years of imprisonment if he is tried and found guilty.

When he was arraigned, he pleaded not guilty.

 The prosecutor, Inspector D. Adebayo, asked the Court to give a date for hearing since he pleaded not guilty to enable the Police to prove that he actually committed the alleged offence.

The Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. F.M. Kayode-Alamu, granted him bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum. 

He was remanded in custody pending when he will perfect his bail condition while the matter was adjourned till 13th April, 2022, for mention.

The action of the defendant may have shown that churches nowadays are no longer safe as criminals do not consider them as sacred places of worship anymore because the church leaders have exposed that they make huge sums of money from the Church through exposure of their humongous wealth in the public space.