NAN-H-27
Driver
By Deborah Akpede
Lagos, Jan. 22, 2018 (NAN) A 40 -year-old driver, Rasheed Owonikoko, who allegedly damaged a company’s vehicle and empty crates of beer valued at N23.8million, was on Monday arraigned in an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.
Owonikoko, who resides in Ibadan, pleaded not guilty to a one-count charge of damage.
The accused was granted N500,000 bail with two sureties in like sum by the Magistrate, Mrs O.J Awope.
Awope said that the sureties should be gainfully employed and show evidence of two years tax payment to the Lagos State Government.
Earlier, the Prosecutor, ASP. Ezekiel Ayorinde, told the court that the accused committed the offence on Dec. 30, 2017, at Abule-Egba, Lagos.
Ayorinde said that the accused damaged a Mack truck valued at N22million and crates of beer valued at N1.8million,all property of Fafem Haulage Nigeria Ltd.
Ayorinde said: “The accused damaged his employer’s vehicle and empty crates of beer.
“The accused was sent to deliver goods to a customer in Port-Harcourt and he diverted the vehicle to another destination where he had an accident.
“The accused loaded the truck with brewery products to Port-Harcourt; after he delivered the goods to the customer, instead of coming back to Lagos, he diverted the truck to Ondo State without the company’s knowledge.
“He willingly involved the truck in a lone accident where he maliciously damaged the vehicle and the 24 pallets of empty crates of bottles he loaded from the customer he delivered the goods to in Port Harcourt,” he said.
The offence, he said, contravened Section 350 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015(Revised).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the accused may be jailed for two years if found guilty of damage according to the provisions of Section 350.
The case was adjourned till Feb. 2 for mention. (NAN)
DOA/DEB/OJO
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(Edited by Mufutau Ojo)