A 22-year-old musician, Muhammed Lawal, was on Monday arraigned in the Upper Area Court Gwagwalada, FCT, for stealing laptops and phones.

Mr Lawal, who resides in Gwako village Gwagwalada, Abuja, is charged with criminal trespass and theft.

The prosecution counsel, Abdullahi Tanko, told the court that the complainant, Ibrahim Danjuma of Yoruba Mosque Gwako village Gwagwalada, Abuja, reported the matter at the police station on May 14.

Mr Tanko said an unknown person criminally trespassed into the complainant’s room and made away with his HP laptop of an unknown value, a Dell laptop valued at N31,500, and an Itel A56 phone valued at N29,500.

He added that other items stolen from the house include Itel small phone valued at N6000, charger valued at N1,500, memory card valued at N3,500, stabiliser N3,500, Philips pressing iron N5,300, bedsheet N4700, half bag of rice, N13,500 and tracking fee N20,000.

He said the total amount of the stolen items was N99,200, adding that the defendant was tracked using the A56 phone.

The prosecutor said the offence contravened sections 286 and 342 of the Penal Code.

The defendant pleaded not guilty.

In an oral application, the defence counsel, Onekutu Idenyi, prayed the court to grant his client bail in the most liberal terms.

Mr Idenyi cited sections 158, 161 and 162 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, to back up his submission for bail.

He said the defendant would abide by all the bail conditions if granted bail.

Judge Sani Umar admitted the defendant to N150,000 bail with one surety in like sum.

Mr Umar ordered that the surety, who should reside within the court’s jurisdiction, must also provide two recent passport photographs. He said the surety must provide a photocopy of valid means of identification.

He said in default, the defendant should be remanded in prison custody.

Mr Umar adjourned the case until October 24 for a hearing. 

(NAN)