Jobless man steals N70,000 phone in Abuja

An applicant, Brown Cletus, was on Friday arraigned before a Kado Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja for allegedly stealing a phone.

Cletus of Chafe, Apo, Abuja, is facing two counts of criminal breach of trust and cheating.

The prosecution counsel, Stanley Nwafoaku, told the court that the matter was reported at Utako Police Station by the complainant, Sandra Meshack, of Utako village, Abuja, on December 31, 2022.

Nwafoaku further alleged that the defendant on the same date at Utako village approached the complainant to ask for her help to use her phone to make an urgent call.

The prosecutor also said when the complainant gave the defendant her Tecno phone valued at N70,000, he ran away with the phone.

He added that when the defendant was later arrested, every effort to recover the phone proved abortive.

According to him, the offence contravened Sections 312 and 322 of the Penal Code.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The judge, Muhammed Wakili, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N50,000 and a surety in like sum.

He directed that the surety must provide a passport photograph, any valid means of identification and a Bank Verification Number printout from his bank.

Wakili also adjourned the matter till March 23 for hearing.