Court remands four for N12m SUV theft
A Lagos State Magistrate Court sitting in Tinubu Square on Monday ordered the remand of four men at the correctional centre for allegedly stealing an SUV vehicle valued N12m.
The defendants are Wale Odunlami, Salami Isiaka, Tajudeen Yekini, and Nurudeen Ogunmola. They were remanded in the custody of the correctional centre respectively by Magistrate Mrs Ayoku Gbajumo, after they all pleaded not guilty to the charges made against them by the Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex, Alagbon, Ikoyi, Lagos.
They were arraigned before the court on two counts of conspiracy, stealing and receiving of stolen car preferred against them by the police.
Earlier, during their arraignment, the prosecution counsel, Morufu Animashaun, told the court that the first defendant, Wale Odunlami, stole the vehicle on December 17, 2024.
He said the incident took place at Orile-Agege, Lagos, adding that the vehicle that was stolen was a Grey Toyota 4Runner vehicle with Chassis No. JTEZUI7RX8K0063731, valued N12m.
Animashaun also told the court that the second to fourth defendants, Salami Isiaka, Tajudeen Yekini and Nurudeen Ogunmola, received the stolen SUV from Odunlami, knowing that it was stolen.
He further told the court that the stolen SUV belonged to the complainant, Jiten Khemani.
According to the prosecutor, the alleged offences contravened Sections 411; 287 and 328 (1) & (2)(b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
However, all the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following their not-guilty plea, Animashaun asked the court for a trial date.
He also urged the court to remand the four defendants, pending the determination of the charges against them.
But, their lawyers, A. O. Opade and Semire Onifade, while orally applying for their bail, appealed to the court to grant them bail in the most liberal terms adding that the defendants had reliable sureties and that they would make themselves available in court till the charges against them were determined.
In a short ruling, Magistrate Gbajumo granted them N4m bail with two responsible sureties, each in like sum who must be residents of Lagos State.
She ruled that the sureties must show evidence of three years of tax payment to the Lagos State Government and means of livelihood, to be verified by the prosecutor.
She ordered that all the defendants be remanded in the custody of the correctional centre pending the perfection of their bail terms.
The magistrate adjourned the matter to March 10, 2025, for mention.
