Thursday, March 28, 2024

Court remands SLOT manager for failing to replace client’s faulty phone

By TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO

The Manager of SLOT Systems Limited, a retail company that sells mobile phones and accessories in Osogbo, Osun state, Mrs. Fadekemi Alasoadura, has spent six days in prison custody for refusing to replace a faulty phone earlier purchased from her shop by a customer.

The complainant, Ronke Olaniyan, said to be a police officer, had visited SLOT office at Ogo-Oluwa area in Osogbo to buy a Trifone passion handset.

After buying the handset for the sum of N20,500 on April 15, 2019, it was said to have started faulty and the buyer had to return it to SLOT for another one since the phone’s warrantee had yet to expire.

But the SLOT manager refused to change the faulty phone for his client.

Olaniyan was said to have reported to the police and some policemen later came to arrest Alasoadura.

Alasoadura was later arraigned before Magistrate Olusegun Ayilara on a two-count charge bearing on acts capable of causing a breach of peace in the public.

The charge read in part, “That you, Fadekemi Alasoadura, on 15th April, 2019 at SLOT System Office, Ogo-Oluwa, Osogbo, did obtain the sum of N20,500 from one Ronke Olaniyan for the sale of one Trifone Passion handset, which was later discovered to be malfunctioning.”

The Police prosecutor, Elisha Olusegun, also informed the court that the accused woman conducted herself in a manner capable of causing breach of public peace, when Olaniyan approached her office to demand for a replacement of the  faulty phone.

Olusegun, a police inspector, argued that Alasoadura committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 421 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume II, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2003.

But more trouble came the way of the accused when she opted for her case to be tried at a higher court of law.

Coupled with her apparent arrogance in the dock, the Magistrate ordered that she be remanded in Ilesa Prison Custody and adjourned the matter till August 9, 2019.

Our correspondent gathered that the accused person’s company lawyer, Oluwaseun Abiola, had approached the Magistrate and pleaded on behalf of Alasoadura for opting for the trial of her at a higher court, saying that she did not know the implication of what she said.

After spending six days in prison, Magistrate Ayilara ordered that she be brought back to court to be re-arraigned.

So, when the accused person, who was now looking sober and sobbing profusely in the dock, was returned to the court on Wednesday, she pleaded not guilty to the two count-charge and opted that her matter be tried at the Magistrate
court.

The prosecutor informed the court that the accused person had settled with the complainant and that the sum of N20,500 had been returned to the complainant.

Magistrate Ayilara then struck out the case and discharged
Alasoadura.

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