The Police on Wednesday, arraigned Chidube Onwukwe and Shafi’u Lawal in a Chief Magistrates Court in Wuse, Abuja for allegedly stealing curtains worth N1.1m.
The police charged the defendants with criminal conspiracy and theft.
The Prosecution Counsel, Sunny Emmanuel, told the court that the complainant, David Babatunde, Manager of Chezi Interiors Limited, Abuja, reported the matter at the Wuse Police Station on May 5.
Emmanuel alleged that the company discovered that some curtains belonging to a customer were missing, and video footage from a CCTV camera revealed that Lawal, a labourer who loads and off-loads goods, was responsible for the missing curtains.
He added that upon questioning, Lawal confessed that Onwukwe, a factory worker in the company, had instructed him to pick up the goods.
The prosecution said that the offence contravened the provisions of sections 97 and 287 of the Penal Code.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty.
The defence counsel, Joan Osinmen, moved a bail application for the defendants citing sections 36(5) of the 1999 constitution and 158 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
Osinmen said that bail was at the court’s discretion and urged it to exercise same in favour of the defendants.
The Magistrate, Abubakar Sadiq, admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N500,000 each with one reasonable and reliable surety in like sum who must be employees of a public or private organisation.
Sadiq ordered that the sureties must swear to an affidavit of means of livelihood and their addresses verified by the court’s registrar.
He adjourned the matter until July 24 for a hearing.
