CITIZENS COMPASS – A Magistrates’ Court sitting in Yaba, Lagos State, has arraigned two men, Abdullahi Abubakar and Nurudeen Shotade
for being in possession of stolen phone of a woman, Opeyemi Oyelami, who was robbed and killed by armed robbers in the state.
The defendants were arraigned by the Lagos State Police Command on Thursday before Magistrate A. O. Salawu, on two counts bordering on stealing, and unlawful possession of stolen items.
It was gathered that on January 20, 2023, at about 6am at No 52 Ikola Road, behind AIT, Alagbado, Lagos State, three men, armed with a shotgun, and a bike man, robbed Oyelami of her phone, a Tecno POP 5, and shot her at her shop.
After attempts to save Oyelami were unsuccessful, the deceased’s husband reported the case to the Alagbado Police Division and an investigation commenced to track down her killers and locate the whereabouts of the phone.
During the investigation, it was learnt that the phone was found with one of the defendants, Shotade, who, after being arrested, led policemen to arrest the other defendant.
Our correspondent gathered that the robbery suspects linked to Oyelami’s killing, Yaya and Aliu, met their Waterloo during one of their operations around Agege area of the state.
One of them was shot dead while the other was arrested with bullet wounds on his leg.
The prosecutor, I. G Oriabure, told the court that the offence committed by the defendants is punishable under Section 328(1)(a)(b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2015.
The charge reads in part, “That you, Abdullahi Abubakar and Nurudeen Shotade, on January 20, 2023, around 6am at No 52 Ikola Road, behind AIT, Alagbado, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, dishonestly received a disposed of phone, Tecno POP 5, belonging to late Opeyemi Oyelami valued at N45, 000 and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 328(1)(a)(b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2015
However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the offences.
Salawu requested the IPO to explain the case to the court, and during the explanation, he said the defendants were not involved in the killing of the deceased.
He said Oyelami’s killers were apprehended in another operation in the Agege area of the state.
“They did not kill the deceased, she was shot by two robbers; one of whom is late and the other in police custody with bullet wounds. They are charged because they sold stolen phones which they are aware that the phones were stolen, and have been in the business for years now.”
With this testimony, the magistrate granted them bail in the sum of N200,000 each in like sum, with two responsible sureties; stating that one of the sureties must present a three years tax payment receipt and a six months statement of account that is verifiable.
She, therefore, adjourned the case till June 1, 2023, for trial.
