The police have brought a 66-year-old man, Sule Abdullahi, before a Tinubu Magistrate’s Court on Lagos Island for failing to produce his son, Rahman Abdullahi, who allegedly stole a sum of N825,000.
Rahman was said to have fled to the Republic of Benin, where he hails from, after stealing the sum which belongs to his boss, who deals in planks in the Jakande, Lekki area of Lagos.
The boss, Waheed Popoola, reported the theft to the police at the Jakande division, who arrested the father.
It was gathered that Sule, who sells bedspread, was able to raise N300,000 which he paid to his son’s boss through the police. He reportedly wrote an undertaking to produce the boy or pay the remaining N525,000.
Popoola told the police that he had kept the money inside a drawer in his shop on April 15, but discovered it was missing around 11am, when Rahman disappeared from the shop and failed to show up since then.
He said, “Rahman had been working with me for three years. He helped me to load planks. On that day, I borrowed the money from our association and kept it inside my office. Rahman stole it and ran away. I reported to the police and they helped me recover N300,000 from his father. I learnt Rahman sent it from Republic of Benin to his father.”
Popoola petitioned the Area J Police Command in Ajah when Sule could not pay the balance or produce his son, and the man was re-arrested.
Sule, who said he indeed wrote the undertaking at the police station, said he had urged Rahman’s mother, who lives in the Republic of Benin, to persuade their son to come to Nigeria for the case.
“His mother said he talked to him, but he refused. I promised the police to pay the remaining money, but I don’t have it yet. He was not living with me while he was working with the man (Popoola),” he added.
The police accused Sule of aiding the escape of his son and was arraigned in the magistrate’s court on two counts bordering on the offence by ASP I. Okeke, a prosecutor.
The charges read, “That you, Sule Abdullahi, on April 15, 2016 at about 11am, at Jakande First Gate, Lekki, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did aid the escape of one Rahman Abdullahi, who was involved in a case of stealing a sum of N825,000, property of one Waheed Popoola.
“That you, on the same date, time and place, in the aforementioned magisterial district, did refuse to disclose the whereabouts of one Rahman Abdullahi, allegedly involved in a case of stealing N825,000, after recovering N300,000 cash from you, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 413 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.”
The counsel, B.M. Ali, told the court that the information on the charge sheet was questionable and applied for the defendant’s bail on most liberal terms.
“The person accused of stealing is an adult; so why arresting the man (the defendant) for an offence committed by another adult? The charge is framed to prejudice the mind of the court; but for now, we don’t want to go into the substance of the charge sheet,” he added.
The prosecutor said he did not oppose to the bail, adding “that all efforts to locate Rahman had failed as he had travelled out of the country.”
The presiding magistrate, Mr. A. Adefulire, granted bail to the defendant in the sum of N200,000 with one surety in like sum and adjourned the case till June 21, 2016.
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