A 21-year-old university student, Opemiposi Okunuga, who allegedly stole his neighbour’s car and resold it for N120,000 was on Thursday arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court.
Mr Okunuga, who resides at Oke-Odo, Abule- Egba, a Lagos suburb, is facing a charge of stealing.
He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The police prosecutor, Godwin Awase, told the court that the accused committed the offence on May 1 at his residence.
He said the accused stole a car belonging to the complainant, Ola Oladipupo, the value of which was yet to be ascertained.
The complainant parked his car in the compound and the accused towed it at night to an unknown location, Awase alleged. He was however not aware that another neighbour had spotted him while he was towing the vehicle out of the compound.
“The complainant discovered in the morning that his Mazda car was missing from where it was parked.
“He raised alarm and a neighbour told him that he saw the accused towing the car away from the compound,” he said.
Mr Awase said the complainant reported the case at the police station and the accused was arrested.
According to him, the accused had made a confessional statement to the police that he sold the car at Abule-Egba for N120, 000 and all efforts to trace the buyer were unsuccessful.
The offence contravened Section 287 (5b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the section stipulates a seven-year imprisonment for offenders.
In her ruling, the Magistrate, F.F. George, granted the accused bail in the sum of N200, 000 with two sureties in like sum.
The judge said the sureties should be gainfully employed with an evidence of two years tax payment to the Lagos State Government.
The case was adjourned until May 23 for mention.
