CYRIACUS IZUEKWE
A Lagos Magistrate Court has remanded two men at the Correctional Centre, Kirikiri Town, following their arraignment over alleged conspiracy and stealing of foreign currency and a luxury wristwatch in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.
The defendants, Abubakar Yakubu, 29, and Mohammed Ali, 28, were arraigned before Magistrate Mr. L.A Owolabi on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy to commit felony and stealing.
The prosecutor, SP Josephine Ihkayere, told the court that the defendants, alongside others who are still at large, allegedly committed the offences on May 4, 2026, at about 7:00 a.m. in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, within the Lagos Magisterial District.
According to the charge sheet presented before the court, the defendants allegedly conspired amongst themselves to commit felony, to wit: stealing, an offence said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.
In the second count, the prosecution alleged that the defendants, on the same date, time and place, stole Three Thousand, One Hundred Dollars ($3,100 USD) and one diamond wristwatch valued at Fifty-Seven Million Naira (N57,000,000.00), property of one Oluwakemi Mary.
The prosecution stated that the alleged offences are contrary to Section 280 and punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.
The case, with Charge No. filed by the Commissioner of Police, was investigated by operatives of the Commander Tactical Squad 1, State Headquarters, Ikeja. The squad is led by SP Banti Adamu as Officer Commanding, while ASP Igbinedion James served as the Investigating Police Officer. The complainant in the matter is listed as Oluwakemi Mary.
Court records further show that the legal advice for prosecution was issued and approved by the District Prosecution Office, Ogba, under the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, on August 15, 2026.
When the charges were read and explained to the defendants in court, their pleas were duly recorded by the magistrate.
Following the arraignment, counsel to the defendants applied for bail on liberal terms, while the prosecution did not oppose the application but urged the court to impose conditions that would ensure their attendance at trial.
In his ruling, Magistrate Mr. L.A Owolabi granted the defendants bail with two sureties. The court ordered that each surety must show evidence of means of livelihood and proof of tax payment to the Lagos State Government.
The magistrate further ordered that the defendants be remanded in the Correctional Center at Kirikiri Town pending the perfection of their bail conditions.
The court also directed that the case file be properly documented with exhibits, bail records, and other proceedings, and adjourned the matter for mention to allow the defendants time to meet their bail terms.
It is important to emphasize that the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.