Court remands scavenger for allegedly stealing electrical cables

A Grade I Area Court in Karu, Abuja, on Thursday remanded a scavenger, Haruna Umar, in a correctional centre for allegedly stealing electrical cables belonging to the Nigerian Navy.

The police charged Umar, 33, of no fixed address, with criminal trespass, criminal conspiracy, mischief and theft.

The Judge, Mr Umar Mayana, deferred bail for the defendant and adjourned the case until Feb. 10, for ruling.

Mayana ordered that the defendant be remanded in the Keffi Correctional Centre, pending investigation.

Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Mr Olanrewaju Osho, told the court that the matter was reported by Sgt. Balogun Adewumi of the Nigerian Navy, at the Asokoro Police Station.

Osho had told the court that on Jan. 14, the defendant conspired with one Dada Yellow, now at large, and trespassed into the Navy Estate site and stole electrical cables.

These include 22 rolls of 1.5mm electrical cables, worth N264,000, 11 rolls of earth cables, valued at N132,000, and 18 rolls of 2.5mm cables, worth N378,000.

Other items allegedly stolen by the defendant are 12 rolls of 4mm electrical cables, worth N360,000, seven rolls of 16mm cables, valued at N840,000, and also destroyed the pop ceiling, worth N120,000.

According to the prosecutor, the total value of all the stolen and damaged items is N2.094 million.

Osho said that the defendant had confessed to the crime during police investigation, and that 16 rolls of electrical cables were recovered from him.

The prosecutor said that the offence contravened the provision of Sections 348, 97, 327 and 287 of the Penal Code.

Umar, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.