They were charged for allegedly conniving to divert and steal the 40ft empty container they were sent to deliver at the Tin Can Island Port, Apapa, Lagos by the complainant, Mr Emmanuel Atteba.
A truck driver identified as Raheem Quadri, and two others have been dragged to court.
The driver and the other two were arrested by the Police at the Area ‘B’ Command, Apapa, Lagos and charged them before a Lagos Magistrate’s Court.
They were charged for allegedly conniving to divert and steal the 40ft empty container they were sent to deliver at the Tin Can Island Port, Apapa, Lagos by the complainant, Mr Emmanuel Atteba.
The police alleged that trouble started for the driver, Quadri, 31, ThankGod, 38, and Izuchukwu Udeogwu, 45, the alleged owner of the truck that convey the missing truck on 30 January, 2022 when the complainant, Atteba hired them to convey the empty container from Injanikin area of Lagos to Apapa Port.
Police further alleged that instead of taking the container to the Port, the driver and others diverted the truck and allegedly sold off the container and escaped.
The police said when the complainant could not find the driver, others and his container at the Port within 24 hours, he sensed foul play and reported the matter to the Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP in charge of Area ‘B’ Command, Apapa, Lagos who swiftly gave a marching order to his crack team led by Inspector Adekola Taiwo to fish out the truck and the container.
The Police team, after days of intelligence gathering, tracked the driver to a hideout and arrested him.
The driver led the police to arrest the owner of the truck, Udeogwu with the truck at his residence. When the Police asked Udeogwu about the container, he could not give a satisfactory account leading to his arrest.
The three defendants were charged before the Apapa Magistrate’s Court, Ajegunle, Lagos on three count charges bordering on conspiracy and stealing.
Police Prosecuting Counsel, Adega Tyonyiman told the Court in the charge marked Q/13/2022 that the complainant hired the defendants and paid them to help him convey an empty container to Tin Can Island Port, Apapa, Lagos, but that instead the defendants betrayed the trust reposed in them by the complainant and sold off the container and escaped before they were arrested.
Tyonyiman said the offences the defendants committed were punishable under sessions 411, 280(1)(a) and 117(2) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges and the Magistrate, Mrs A.O Williams granted them N500,000 bail each with two sureties each in like sum.
Williams adjourned the case till 11 August, 2022 for mention and ordered that the defendants be detained at the Kirikiri correctional facility till they perfected the bail conditions.
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