2nd February, 2017
An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Thursday remanded a motorcyclist, Baba Alhaji Yaga, at the Kirikiri Prisons, Apapa over the lack of interpreter to translate charges from English language to Hausa.
The Magistrate, Mr A.A Adesanya, remanded Yaga, 20, who claimed that he did not understand either English language or ‘Pidgin’ English.
Adesanya adjourned the case till Feb. 8, for an interpreter that could translate the charges to him from English language to Hausa language.
Yaga, a resident of No. 12, Odobo Gate, Oke-Ira, Ogba, Lagos is being tried for unlawful possession and stealing of a motor battery.
According to the prosecutor, Insp. George Nwosu, the accused committed the offences on Jan. 29 at 5:00 am at Obawole, Iju in Lagos.
He said that the accused was unlawfully in possession of a motor battery which was suspected to have been stolen from an unknown place.
“The security guard sighted the accused with a carton on his head.
“He accosted him and asked him what was in the carton.
“The accused dropped the carton from his head and took to his heels,” he said.
Nwosu said that the security guard gave him a hot chase and caught up with him on the next street.
“The guard ran after him and caught him, when the carton was opened, a motor battery was found. The accused was handed over to the police,” he said.
The prosecutor said that there had been several cases of car vandalism and car parts theft in that area in the last eight months but nemesis had caught up with the accused.
The offences contravened sections 285 and 327 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
The accused may be jailed for three years if found guilty according to the provisions of Section 285.