BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
An Osogbo Magistrate’s Court, Osun State, has ordered the remand of a 22-year-old man, Patrick Onabe, for allegedly stealing clothes, groceries and other commodities from a supermarket.
It was gathered that Onabe, said to be a police officer’s son in the state police command, disguised by wearing a jacket and gaining entry into the supermarket after the close of the day’s work. He worked as a security guard at the supermarket.
Police prosecutor, Olagoke Taiwo, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, informed the court that the items allegedly stolen by the defendant were valued at N4 million and that most of them were recovered at the residence of the security guard.
The theft was allegedly committed between October, 2022 and May, 2023 at Payless Shop More Supermarket, Osogbo.
The charge read, “That you Patrick Onabe, sometimes in the month of October 2022 to 24th day of May, 2023 at Payless Shop More Supermarket, Osogbo in Osogbo Magisterial District did enter into the aforementioned Supermarket with intent to steal and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 411 of the Criminal Code Cap 34 Vol. II Laws of Osun State of Nigeria 2002.
“That you Patrick Onabe, on the same date, time and place at the aforementioned Magisterial District, being the security guard, did steal some assorted boutiques and groceries, valued Four Million Naira (N4, 000, 000, 00K) only, property of one Awe Ayodeji Samson and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 390(9)(6) of the Criminal Code Cap 34 Vol. II Laws of Osun State of Nigeria 2002.”
Onabe pleaded guilty to the two-count charge levelled against him by the Police.
However, the presiding Magistrate, M. A. Olatunji, asked the police prosecutor to present the facts of the case.
Taiwo, who brought a big bag filled with the stolen clothes and groceries, explained, “The defendant was employed as a security guard at Payless Shop More Supermarket, Dada Estate Area, Osogbo, and he has a duty to lock-up the supermarket after the closing hour. Unknowingly, he pretended to have locked but the door was not locked. The shop owners would have gone home before the defendant would sneak into the supermarket and steal some commodities.
“Thereafter, the owner of the store, Mr Awe Ayodeji Samson, discovered that some items at the supermarket were missing. The case was reported to the Police. With the help of the CCTV attached to the supermarket, the defendant was seen in the footage. Whenever he wanted to steal the items, the defendant always wore a jacket. He was later arrested and he made useful statement and search warrant was executed in his house and some items which belonged to the supermarket were recovered. The items were duly endorsed by the defendant and complainant in the case.”
After the prosecutor brought out exhibits for the court to confirm, Onabe, who was represented in court by a legal practitioner, T. B. Ayodele, said it was not all the items the Police took from his house that he stole.
“It’s not all the items in that bag that I stole. For instance, the Father Christmas gown was given to me by my boss, Mr Awe Ayodeji Samson. I was asked to be their Father Christmas sometimes ago and after the party, he asked me to take it away. The Dell laptop is mine, not part of the stolen items. The black t-shirt is mine. The itel phone and memory card are mine. The black pair of canvass is mine. The white cloth is not part of the items found in my house but other items were found in my house,” he said.
Magistrate Olatunji ordered that the defendant be remanded in prison and adjourned the matter till July 6 for further hearing.
