Robbery gang in court for stealing N6.4m raw materials

Two suspects identified as 42-year-old Moruf Afolabi and one Saheed Adeoti both appeared before an Ikeja Magistrate’s Court on Friday on two counts of armed robbery after they were both arrested for stealing raw material valued at N6.4 million from a polythene producing company known as Alphabet Packaging Nigeria Limited in Alibaba, in the Isashi area of Lagos State.

While reading the charge for Afolabi and Adeoti, a new worker of the company, police prosecutor, Inspector Benedict Aigbokhan said, “That you, Saheed Adeoti, Maruf Afolabi, and others at large, on August 14, 2016, at about 7am at Alphabet Packaging Nigeria Limited on Mayila Street, Anibaba, Isashi, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, while armed with sticks, did tie the security man, Lanre Ladoja, with a rope, and forced a piece of cloth into his mouth and rob 220 bags of Indorama polythene nylon making material valued at N6.4m, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 278 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.”

Before adjourning the case till October 21, 2016, for legal advice, Mrs. O. Olanipekun, the presiding magistrate did not take the plea of the defendants, as she ordered that the case file be forwarded to the Directorate of the Public Prosecutions for advice.

According to a police source, a policeman, identified simply as Tunde, aka Agbo, reportedly escorted a truck containing 220 bags of the stolen raw material to the Mangoro area of the state, where they were sold.

Read also: 25-yr-old mother arrested for strangling 1-yr-old child to death

Continuing, the police source said the robbery suspects went to the company on Sunday, August 14, telling the security guard on duty that they were directed by the company’s manager to get some raw materials but the security guard insisted that they call the manager so he could confirm the directive.

Sensing that the security guard will turn out to be a stumbling block in their mission, one of the suspects pretended he wanted to ease himself in the toilet located in the company premises which allowed the rest of the gang to forcefully gain entry into the premises.

The police source added that; “One of the suspects pretended that he wanted to use the toilet on the premises. The guard allowed him in and the rest of them forcefully gained access into the company. They tied the guard with a rope, sealed his mouth and put him in a room while they looted the store where the raw material was. They stole 220 bags and packed them in a truck.

“The case was reported at the Isashi Police Division and was later transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the state command in Ikeja. The information we gathered showed that one Tunde, whom one of the suspects identified as a policeman, escorted the truck to where the chemical was sold. But investigation revealed that the said policeman was not aware it was stolen,” the police source added.

RipplesNigeria …without borders, without fears

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now