A 37-year old fake dockworker, John Bassey, was yesterday sentenced to five months imprisonment by the Kirikiri Magistrate Court without an option of fine for stealing goods worth N200,000.
Bassey who operated at the ENL Terminals in Apapa Port with the pretence of being a dockworker, was charged September 19, 2016 for stealing 120 pieces of bolts and compressor valued at N200,000.
He had earlier appeared before the Apapa Magistrate Court on October 28, 2016 for the same offence on a three-count charge bothering on criminality.
The allegations stated, “That the defendant, John Bassey, on the 19th September 2016 at about 2200hrs at ENL Terminals, Apapa Port in the Apapa Magisterial District, did steal 120 pieces of bolt and compressor valued sum of N200, 000 property of ENL Consortium Ltd and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 285 (1) of the criminal law of Lagos State 2011.”
Also on the same date, time and place, Bassey was accused of falsely parading himself as dockworker of ENL Terminal knowing same to be false and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 378 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
The third charge read, “That you, John Bassey, ‘m’, on the same date, time and place in the aforesaid Magisterial District, did enter into Apapa Ports Quays without the Nigerian Port Authority Ticket and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 398 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.”
He pleaded not guilty to all the three-count charges.
The Apapa Magistrate, Mrs Osho Adebiyi had given him a bail of N50, 000 with one surety in like sum but he could not meet the bail conditions.