Tuesday 8 December 2015

Police arraign LAGBUS officials for selling used tickets


Eight workers of the Lagos Bus Rapid Transit, LAGBUS, have been arraigned before an Ogudu Magistrate’s Court for allegedly reselling used tickets to commuters.

It was learnt that the suspects ─ Abisodun Olamide, Blessing Anthony, Taiwo Abolade, Adebayo Olayemi, Kehinde Ogunyemi, Chibuzor Martins, Ope Adeboyejo and Bola Ibrahim ─ were attached to the Ketu bus stop route of the LAGBUS.

The enforcement agents of the transport scheme had put the suspects under a close watch after passengers reported that they were issuing used tickets.

It was gathered that the suspects usually picked up the used tickets abandoned inside the buses by passengers and resold them to another set of commuters.

They were reportedly found with used tickets valued at N17,440, and were arrested by the operatives, who handed them over to the police.

The police brought them before the Ogudu magistrate, Mrs. Sule Amzat, on two counts bordering on stealing.

The charges read, “That you, Abisodun Olamide, Blessing Anthony, Taiwo Abolade, Adebayo Olayemi, Kehinde Ogunyemi, Chibuzor Martins, Ope Adeboyejo and Bola Ibrahim, between 6am and 12pm in October 30, 2015, at Ketu bus stop, in the Lagos Magisterial District, being workers of LAGBUS company did conspire to commit felony, committing an offence punishable under Section 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.

“That you, on the same date, time and place, in the aforementioned magisterial district, being workers of LAGBUS and with intent to steal, did preserve tickets that had already been issued to passengers, and thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 285 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.”

The accused pleaded not guilty to the counts and elected summary trial. Their counsel, Adesola Onipede, requested that they should be admitted to bail in liberal terms.

While adjourning the matter till January 21, 2016, the presiding magistrate, Amzat, granted the defendants bail in the sum of N20,000 each with two sureties each in like sum.

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