A Magistrates’ Court in Kubwa on Tuesday discharged 2 men – Mathias Lawrence and Harisu Ibrahim – both accused of criminal conspiracy, shop breaking and theft.
The Magistrate, Nneaka Lesley, discharged the defendants following the application of the prosecuting counsel, John Okpa, to withdraw the case. Lesley consequently withdrew the First Information Report (FIR) and struck out the matter.
The prosecuting counsel had earlier applied to the court to strike out the matter, saying the complainant, Olofu Adejo, wanted to discontinue the case. He said the parties had agreed to resolve the matter and cited Section 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
Before the withdrawal, the prosecution had said the complainant, a staff of Green Agriculture West African Limited Company, Ushafa, Abuja, reported the matter at the Police Area Command, Kubwa, Abuja on January 31. He alleged that the defendants broke into the said company’s store and stole 32 submersible solar water pumps, valued at ₦16 million, sometime in December 2023.
Okpa said that during the police investigation, 28 pieces of the said pumps were recovered, adding that the offence contravened Sections 97, 349 and 287 of the Penal Code.