A 33-year-old man, Opeyemi Ayomide, has been arrested by the police in Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria and later charged before the Ojokoro Magistrate’s Court with stealing onion worth N20.
Ayomide was alleged to have gone inside Oke-Odo market near Iyana Ipaja, Lagos on 14 January this year during the fuel subsidy strike and stole the onion, eggs and a tuber of yam.
When the trader selling the onion, Bala Adamu, accosted him, he was still holding a knife and he forcefully took the onion from Adamu’s table.
The trader raised an alarm and his colleagues apprehended opeyemi who claimed he needed the onion to fry his eggs to eat yam.
But during police investigation, it was discovered that Opeyemi had stolen the yam tuber and egg in the same market in like manner that he had stolen the onion.
P.M. NEWS gathered that Opeyemi gave the same explanation to the police that he did not steal the egg, yam and onion but he was hungry and need to eat.
Police ignored his explanation and charged him to court.
According to the police prosecutor, the offence Opeyemi committed is contrary to sections 285 and 238 of the criminal code laws of Lagos State of Nigeria.
When the charge was read to him, Opeyemi told the court that he did not see himself as a thief.
He said he took the items because he was hungry and he pleaded not guilty.
The presiding magistrate, Mrs A.F. Adeeyo, admitted him to bail in the sum of N20,000 with one surety in like sum.
The matter was adjourned till 10 February, 2012 for mention.
Opeyemi was remanded in prison custody as no one came to stand surety for him.
Via PM News
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