HOME HELP JAILED THREE YEARS FOR STEALING

A 30-year-old home help, Dayo Opebiyi, was on Monday sentenced to three years in prison by the Ojokoro Magistrate’s Court, Ijaiye, Lagos State after being found guilty on two counts bordering on burglary and stealing. Items reportedly stolen by the convict were a sum of N50,000, €1,000, mobile phones and a digital camera. Opebiyi had lived at Block 62, Ojokoro Housing Estate, Meiran with his boss, one Rufus Adeojo, for two years. Source learnt that the convict collected

the key to Adeojo’s apartment on June 6, 2013 as he usually did and returned it a few minutes later. It was gathered that the items were discovered missing by the boss when he entered the room around 9pm on the fateful day.

Opebiyi was said to have fled the home afterwards, but was later arrested by the police, who brought him before the presiding magistrate, Mrs. T. Akanni, on two counts of stealing and burglary.

According to a statement he made at the Meiran Police Station, he wanted to sell the items to finance his travel out of the country. He also claimed that he was duped in the course of processing his visa.

The charges read, “That you, Dayo Opebiyi, on June 6, 2013, at about 9pm, at Block 62, Ojokoro Housing Estate, Meiran, Lagos State, in the Ikeja Magisterial District, did enter into the dwelling of one Rufus Adeojo with intent to commit felony to wit; stealing.

“ That you, on the same date time and place, in the aforementioned magisterial district, did steal the following items ─ cash sum of N50,000, one I Phone, a digital camera, six mobile phones and €1,000, all valued at N550,000, property of Rufus Adeojo.”

The accused had been admitted to bail in the sum of N250,000 with two sureties in like sum after he pleaded not guilty to the offences, which according to a prosecutor, ASP Lugard Ahonle, contravene and are punishable under sections 285 and 306 of Criminal Law, Vol. 44 of the Lagos State of Nigeria.

Our correspondent gathered that Opebiyi, who hails from Ilesha, Osun State, did not show up in the court after his bail was perfected, leading to his re-arrest on August 19, 2014. He was said to have been in prison custody since then.

It was also gathered that the defence counsel had sought that the matter be settled out of the court.

The request was granted, leading to adjournment of the case on two occasions for report of settlement, which did not eventually materialise. While Opebiyi was sentenced to one year for the first count, he got two years for the second count. Akanni said the convict would run the jail terms “consecutively.” She said, “The defendant is found guilty of the offences preferred against him by the police. He is hereby sentenced to one year in prison for the first charge, while the second charge attracts two years term to be run consecutively.”