CYRIACUS IZUEKWE
Three men, Olorunfemi Collins,50, Adeyemi Eshilokun, 37 years, and Taofeek Lawal, 31, have been arraigned before the Magistrate Court sitting in Ogba, Ikeja Magisterial District, for allegedly breaking into a warehouse and stealing fabric materials valued at Twenty Seven Million Naira, N27,000,000.00, at Abule Egba area of Lagos State.
The defendants, Olorunfemi Collins ‘M’, Adeyemi Eshilokun ‘M’ and Taofeek Lawal ‘M’, were brought before Magistrate Mrs O. Kusanu on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and breaking and stealing, contrary to the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2015.
Prosecutor SP Philip Adegbemuji told the Magistrate Court sitting in Ogba that Olorunfemi Collins, Adeyemi Eshilokun and Taofeek Lawal, and others at large, committed the offences on the 2nd day of October, at about 0200hrs, at Ekoro / Command Road, Abule Egba Area of Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District.
According to the charge sheet marked Charge No. /2026 – Commissioner of Police Vs Olorunfemi Collins and 2 others, prepared by Command Special Squad II, with IPO Inspr. Rashidat Oyetola, the defendants in count one allegedly conspired among themselves to commit felony to wit, stealing and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.
In count two, SP Philip Adegbemuji alleged that Olorunfemi Collins, Adeyemi Eshilokun, Taofeek Lawal and others at large, on same date, time and place in the aforesaid Magisterial District, did constructively break into a warehouse and steal fabric materials valued at Twenty Seven Million Naira, N27,000,000.00, property of one Fayemi Oladayo and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 307 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.
The prosecutor told the court that complainant Fayemi Oladayo, who owns a warehouse at Ekoro / Command Road, Abule Egba, reported at the Command headquarters that in the early hours of 2nd October at about 2am, some unknown persons broke into his warehouse at Ekoro / Command Road and carted away fabric materials worth N27m.
The matter was assigned to operatives of Command Special Squad II, who through intelligence gathering, arrested Olorunfemi Collins, Adeyemi Eshilokun and Taofeek Lawal in connection with the burglary at Abule Egba, while some other suspects are still at large.
When the charge was read to Olorunfemi Collins, Adeyemi Eshilokun and Taofeek Lawal before Magistrate Mrs O. Kusanu, they pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge.
Magistrate Mrs O. Kusanu granted them bail with sureties who must show evidence of means of livelihood and tax payment.
Mrs O. Kusanu ordered that each defendant must provide responsible sureties who must show evidence of means of livelihood and evidence of tax payment to the Lagos State Government, with verifiable addresses within the Magisterial District, and must produce valid means of identification.
Pending the perfection of their bail conditions, Magistrate Mrs O. Kusanu ordered that Olorunfemi Collins, Adeyemi Eshilokun and Taofeek Lawal be *remanded in the Correctional Centre at Kirikiri Town, Lagos, pending the perfection of bail conditions*.
The Magistrate adjourned the matter to for mention and further hearing at Ogba.
The court emphasized that Olorunfemi Collins, Adeyemi Eshilokun and Taofeek Lawal are presumed innocent until proven guilty by the court of competent jurisdiction as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
If found guilty under Section 411 and Section 307, they are liable to imprisonment as prescribed by law.