24th August, 2021
By Paul Iyoghojie
The police at the Maroko Division, Lekki, Lagos have arrested a driver, Ayomide Ishola Abdullahi, 31, and charged him before a Lagos Magistrate’s Court for allegedly stealing his employer’s N500, 000 and fled to Kwara State just one month after he was employed.
The incident, according to the police occurred on 4 June, 2021 along the Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos when the driver drove his boss, Wale Adepitan to a bank in the area to withdraw the N500, 000.
On their way home, the complainant was said to have told the driver to stop for him to see a friend in the area and that immediately the complainant alighted from the car and entered his friend’s office, the driver drove off the car to his employer’s resident to park it.
The driver allegedly removed the bag containing the money and fled to his home town in Ilorin, Kwara State and switched off his phone.
Following the ugly development, the complainant reported the incident to the Divisional Police Officer, DPO in charge of Maroko Division, Lekki, who detailed his crack team led by Inspector Augustine Adefemi to fish out the fleeing driver anywhere he could be found.
The police team, after weeks of intelligence gathering tracked the driver to Ilorin, Kwara State, arrested him and brought him back to Lagos.
Abdullahi was charged at the Igbosere Magistrate’s Court sitting at the Tinubu Magistrate’s Court, Lagos on a one Court charge of stealing.
Polie counsel, Ajaga Agboko informed the court in the charges marked L/10/2021 that the defendant committed the offence on 4 June, 2021 along the Admiralty way, Lekki, Phase 1, Lagos.
Agboko told the court that the defendant stole his employer’s N500, 000 and fled Lagos before he was arrested.
He said the offence committed was punishable under section 287 of the criminal law of Lagos state, 2015.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge and Magistrate T.O Babalola granted him bail in the sum of N100, 000 with two sureties in like sum.
Babalola adjourned the case till 27 August, 2021 for mention and ordered that the defendant be kept at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre till he perfected the bail conditions.