A Kuje Chief Magistrates’ Court Abuja on Tuesday struck out a case of alleged conspiracy and theft against three men for non-appearance of both parties.

The police had charged one Ameer Hassan, 21, Bashiru Halidu, 27, and Abubakar Shehu, 26, all male Of Wuse Zone 1, Abuja with criminal conspiracy and theft.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against them on the first day of arraignment.

The Magistrate, Abu Sa’id, struck out the case due to the absence in court of both the complainant and the defendants.

Mr Sa’id also terminated the suit for lack of the complainant’s interest in the case.

“The case is hereby struck out, the First Information Report (FIR) is hereby withdrawn,” the magistrate said.

The Prosecutor, Simon Yako, told the court that the complainant, Kamal Lawal of Wuse Zone 1 Abuja, reported the matter in a Wuse Zone 3 Police Station on February 10

Mr Yako said that the complainant claimed that on the same date at about 8: 30 a.m., he travelled to Kaduna State and entrusted Hassan with his phones.

He said the defendants dishonestly made away with the complainant’s three iPhones worth N 1.5 million without his consent and ran to an unknown destination, until they were later arrested.

He said that during police investigation the defendants made a confessional statement but could not give a satisfactory account of the said iPhones.

The prosecutor said that the offence contravenes Sections 97 and 287 of the Penal Code.

(NAN)