A Tinubu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Tuesday slammed a bail of N50,000 on security guard, Samuel Moses, for allegedly stealing N11,000. Magistrate Olaitan Ajayi, who gave the ruling, also Moses, 27, two sureties in like sum. Moses, who lives at Jakande Housing Estate, Lekki, is facing a charge of stealing.
He, however, denied the charge.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Sgt. Daniel Ighodalo, had told the court that the accused committed the offence at 11.00 a.m. on April 28 at Ikoyi Branch of UBA Plc on Awolowo Way.
He said the guard stole the money from one Mr Mohammed Adamu under the pretext that he wanted to help him pay it into his son’s account.
“The complainant, who is an illiterate, had approached the accused in the banking hall to help him fill a teller for N11, 000 which he intended to send to his son.
“Moses filled the amount on the teller in his own name instead of filling Adamu’s son’s name.
“The accused also filled Adamu’s name and phone number as details of the depositor.
“After the accused had completed his fraudulent act, he gave the teller to Adamu who ignorantly went to pay the money into Moses’ account in the bank,” Ighodalo said.
The prosecutor said the next day, Adamu went back to the bank to lodge a complaint that his son had yet to receive the money he sent to him the previous day.
“Fortunately, the complainant had a copy of the teller in his possession.
“When the bank officials inspected the details on the teller, they discovered that the accused had substituted his account details with that of Adamu’s son.’’
Ighodalo said that the bank officials immediately blocked Moses’ account by placing a lien on it.
He added: “On May 4, Moses tried unsuccessfully to withdraw money from his account and he went to report his inability to access the money in his account to the bank staff.
“The staff, on noticing that his account was blocked due to fraud, alerted the authorities.”
According to him, the offence contravenes Section 285(3) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
Section 285 recommends a three-year sentence for stealing.
The case has been adjourned to June 6 for mention.
(NAN) .
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