Staff, 22, Docked For Allegedly Stealing Company’s Scrap Iron To Buy Bread 

MICHAEL AKINOLA 

A 22-year old company staff,  Paul James, has landed in trouble in Lagos State for allegedly stealing pieces of iron, which he sold as scrap to buy bread due to unpaid salary. 

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the management has handed him over to the Police at Isheri Oshun Division.

The management also calculated all the missing items in the company worth over N1m and claimed that he stole them after four months he got employed in the company.

The incident happened at Mark B Company located at Prince bus stop, Ijegun area of Lagos, where he was employed as a staff.

According to the suspect, he was employed by the company and the salary was not regularly. In the process, he was sick and had no money to buy food. He then picked some pieces of scrap iron removed from vehicles and sold them to buy food and drugs.

He said that he was surprised when the Police arrested, detained him at the station and gave him the list of the items which the owner of the company claimed that he stole including Jack, Propeller, laptop and 12 crates of empty beer bottles worth N1m belonging to the company.

He said he denied doing so and told the Police that there was no way he would have stolen such items because he was just employed some months ago by the owner.

However, the Police found him culpable and charged him before the Ejigbo Magistrate Court for conspiracy, conduct likely to cause breach of public peace and stealing.

The charges read:

That you, Paul James, ‘M’ and others now at large on the 15th of October, 2014, at about 14:00hrs at Prince Bus Stop, Ijegun, in the Lagos magisterial district, did conduct yourselves in a manner likely to cause a breach of the peace by trickily taking away company’s properties without the consent of the owner of the company as an employed staff, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 168 (d) of the criminal law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2015.”

COUNT II:That you, Paul James, ‘M’ and others now at large, on the same date, time and place, did steal one car Jack,  Propeller, laptop and crates of empty Beer bottles belonging to Mark B Company, thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 287 law of Lagos Nigeria 2015.”

However, he pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor, Inspector Simeon Njue, then 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. A.K. Dosumu-Uthman, granted him bail in the sum of N300,000 with two sureties in like sum, who must show evidence of means of livelihood and tax payment while addresses will be verified by the Court.

The matter was adjourned till 19th November, 2024, for mention while the defendant was remanded in custody at the correctional center at Kirikiri town, Lagos, pending when he will perfect his bail conditions.