The police on Wednesday arraigned Garuba Lawal, a driver and two accomplices, Ismaila Azeez, 37 and Funsho Azeez, 57, in an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court for absconding with N18m worth of goods.
The defendants were brought before Chief Magistrate A.T. Elias on a two-count of conspiracy and stealing.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The prosecutor, Sgt. Kehinde Omisakin, told the court that the defendants committed the offences on March 19 at Wendam Bass Transport in Apapa, Lagos.
She also told the court that Lawal, a driver attached to Wendam Haulage Company, was assigned to deliver 600 bags of soft biscuit flour to Yale foods in Ibadan but absconded with the truck and the goods.
She added that “the Iveco Eurostar truck with registration no. AAA 996 XO was later traced to where the Azeez brothers were dismantling the head of the truck in a bid to sell it off in pieces.”
The offences contravened sections 287(5) and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.
Meanwhile, Magistrate Elias had granted bail to the defendants in the sum of N2.5m each with two responsible sureties each in like sum and adjourned the case till June 5 for mention.