Man Arraigned Over Cable Theft

The police at Yaba Division, Adekunle, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, have arraigned a 23-year-old man, Afeez Ganiyu before the Yaba Magistrate’s Court on a one-count charge of allegedly stealing MTN Communications cables valued at N565,000.

The incident occurred on 14 August, 2011 at about 8 a.m. on the Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos, when the accused, carrying bundles of cables, was accosted by two MTN security guards on patrol.

When they questioned him about the cables, he admitted digging it up from under the bridge to sell.

The security personnel handed him and the cables over to the police at Yaba Police Station for investigation.

During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to the crime and said he has been vandalising stealing cables from under the bridge and selling them to Hausa buyers at Ojurin, railway line at Costain, Iganmu, Surulere since 2009.

“I have been arrested for the same offence in 2009 and charged to court and remanded in prison, but I was released by human right group which intervened in the matter in the court.

“When I regained freedom, I went back to the business because it has entered my blood before my latest arrest. But I promise to change this time around if I am set free by the police,” he stated.

The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge and the magistrate, Mrs. Matepo, granted him bail in the sum of N50,000 with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the matter till 10 October, 2011.

The accused was ordered remanded in the Ikoyi prison when nobody came to bail him.

— Paul Iyoghojie