A 24-year-old labourer, Jacob Ayuba, was on Thursday arraigned before a Life Camp Chief Magistrates’ Court, Abuja, over alleged house breaking and stealing of his neighbour’s savings box worth N3,000.

 The police charged Ayuba, of Dakibiyu Village, Abuja, with housebreaking and theft, to which he pleaded not guilty.

 The Prosecution Counsel, Charity Nwachukwu, told the court that one Jennifer Yusuf, of the same address, reported the matter at Jabi Police Station on May 24.

 Ms Nwachukwu said that on May 18, the defendant criminally broke into the complainant’s house without her consent when she was visiting her friend.

She said that on May 19, when Ms Yusuf returned home, she discovered that the defendant had broken into her room and made away with her savings box valued at N3,000.

 The prosecution counsel further stated that except on Sundays, the complainant had been saving N3,000  daily from January 3 until the day that the defendant stole the savings box.

She said that the defendant broke the complainant’s savings box and made away with her money totalling N432,000, leaving the hammer which he used to perpetuate the act in her room.

 Ms Nwachukwu told the court that the defendant forgot his hammer in the complainant’s room and that his neighbours testified that the said hammer belonged to the defendant.

 She also quoted the neighbor to have further testified that the defendant had been the one causing problems in the compound and disturbing the neighbours.

According to her, the offences contravene the provisions of Sections 352 and 288 of the Panel code.

 The Chief Magistrate, Musa Jobbo, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N50,000, with a surety in like sum.

Mr Jobbo said that the surety must reside within the court’s jurisdiction and, thereafter, adjourned the matter till July 21 for hearing.

(NAN)