Police arraign sales rep charged with theft of N830,000

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December 5, 2016 3:37 PM

The defendant had sold newspapers, valued at N830,000 and refused to remit same to the newspaper house.

Court gavel

The police on Monday arraigned a 48-year-old sales representative, Mohammed Suleiman in an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for alleged theft of proceed of sales from The New Telegraph Newspaper totalling N830,000.

Sulaiman, a resident of No. 2, Araromi Street, Oke-Padre, Ibadan in Oyo State, is facing one-count charge of theft.

The prosecutor, Sgt. Babaji Ishaku, told the court that the defendant committed the offence between July and October 2016 at No. 1A, Ajumobi Street, off Acme Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos.

Ishaku said that the case was reported by the newspaper’s Administrative Manager, Mr Robinson Eze.

The prosecutor added that the accused was employed as a sales/circulation representative.

He noted that Sulaiman was given packs of The New Telegraph newspapers to sell at the Ibadan office of the publication.

He said that the defendant had sold the newspapers, valued at N830,000 and refused to remit same to the newspaper house, stressing that “all efforts to collect the money proved abortive.

“It was later discovered that Sulaiman had fraudulently diverted the proceed to his personal use without the management’s consent, an offence which contravened Section 285 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011."

Section 285 prescribes a three-year jail term for stealing if convicted.

However, the defendant pleaded not guilty and the Magistrate, Mr J.A. Adegun, granted him bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum.

Adegun said that the sureties must be property owners in Lagos with two years tax payment evidence to the Lagos State Government.

The magistrate adjourned the case until Dec. 8.

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