A Magistrate’s Court sitting in Osogbo, capital of Osun State has ordered the remand of a 24-year-old man, Bello Ayomide over alleged theft, fraud and attempted murder.
The Police in the state dragged Ayomide to court and accused him of stealing his co-worker’s phone and withdrawing money from his bank account with the stolen phone.
Ayomide, who informed the court that he is a single father of one, said he had separated from the woman who gave birth to his son.
Sources within the Police investigation team informed The Point that the defendant was working for an herbal medicine company in Osogbo where he allegedly stole his colleague’s Itel phone.
Having worked with the complainant, Hillary Austine, for some months, Ayomide was said to have mastered Austin’s Opay account details and password.
It was gathered that Ayomide robbed Austine of his phone and fraudulently withdrew the sum of N390, 000 from the victim’s bank account.
Security sources said the accused person stopped going to work and efforts made by Austine to retrieve his phone and money from him proved abortive as the defendant reportedly left his house and ran outside Osogbo to evade arrest.
Findings revealed that the police tracked Ayomide and later found him inside a hotel in Osogbo with a lady suspected to be a commercial sex worker.
“The moment he discovered that the police were close to him, the suspect (Ayomide) quickly drank hypo whitener and disinfectant in a bid to take his life and evade arrest,” a police source told The Point.
Nonetheless, Ayomide was apprehended in his hotel room and rushed to a hospital where he was urgently attended to.
After he survived the attempted suicide, police dragged Ayomide before an Osogbo Magistrate’s Court and slammed him with five count-charge bothering on theft, fraud and attempted suicide.
The police prosecutor, Jacob Adekunle, informed the court that Ayomide committed the offences on January 26, 2025 at about 11:00am at Ota-Efun area, Osogbo.
The charge read, “That you Bello Ayomide, on January 26, 2025, did steal one Itel S24 Hand-set valued Two Hundred and Ten Thousand Naira only (N210,000:00), the property of one Hillary Austine and transferred cash sum of Three Hundred and Ninety Thousand Naira only (N390,000:00) from OPAY Microfinance bank with the account No 9119305080, property of one Hillary Austine.
“That you Bello Ayomide on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District did fraudulently obtain cash sum of Fifty Thousand Naira (N50,000:00) only from one Hillary Austine with the pretence of returning the money within two weeks which you know fully well that it is false.
“You did fraudulently obtain a cash sum of Fifteen Thousand Naira (N15,000:00) only from one Kasali Rofiat, a female, with the pretence of selling a stolen phone to which you know full well that it is false.
“That you Bello Ayomide on the 2nd day of February, 2025 at about 2200hrs at Mingles Hotel, Jaye area Osogbo in Osogbo Magisterial district did make an attempt to commit suicide by taken Hypos Chemical to take your life.”
Akintunde told the court that the accused person committed offences contrary to and punishable under sections 327, 383(1), 419, and 430 and punishable under sections 390(9) of the Criminal Code Cap 34 Vol. 11 Laws of Osun State of Nigeria 2002.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
Ayomide’s counsel, Najite Okobe, urged the court to grant him bail.
Magistrate A. O. Odeleye expressed displeasure over an alleged attempt by the accused person to kill himself, saying since none of his relatives were in court, she would not grant him bail.
Odeleye ordered that Ayomide be remanded in a Correctional Centre and asked him to produce his relations on March 20, the adjourned date.