An Igbosere, Lagos, Chief Magistrate’s court heard yesterday how a member of a three-man robbery gang was arrested while wearing some of the items he and his colleagues had stolen.
Magistrate M. L. Balogun was told that between 11pm on December 31, 2019 and 5am on January 1, 2020, the 21-year-old accused person, Felix Hidenem Ashaver, and others, still on the run, allegedly burgled a home at No. 74, Fatai Idowu Arobieke Street, Lekki, Phase 1, Lagos.
A prosecution witness, Teghtegh Michael Terhiie, while being led in evidence by the police prosecutor, Oludejo Balogun, narrated to the court how he made efforts to stop the burglars by preventing one of them from carting away stolen goods but was overpowered when the other members of the gang hit him with a hammer.
Terhiie said the hammer blow numbed him and he had to let the burglar go with the goods he and his colleagues had stolen.
The theft was, thereafter, reported to the police.
The police, who said they later arrested Ashaver wearing some of the stolen items, alleged that the accused person broke and entered into the home of Chineyelum Ogufere, and burgled it.
Items allegedly stolen from Ogufere’s house included CCTV cameras, one Ipad, one Iphone, pairs of trainers, shoes, clothes, face caps, wallets, cash and a UP laptop, all estimated at N2.2 million.
Other stolen items included handbags, wrist watches, gold jewelry, DVD players, small suitcases and cash, altogether valued at N6.2m.
The accused person was further alleged to have conducted himself in a manner likely to cause a breach of the peace and also inflicted injuries on the witness, Terhiie.
The defendant pleaded not guilty.
Magistrate Balogun ordered that he should be remanded at the Ikoyi, Lagos, Correctional Centre and fixed further hearing for February 18, 2020.
