Guard Allegedly Steals All Electrical Cables From Abuja Building Site

The police on Tuesday arraigned a security guard, Markus Augustine, before a Dutse Senior Magistrates’ Court in Abuja for allegedly stealing electrical cables worth N10.2 million from his employer’s building site.

The police charged Augustine alongside four scavengers with theft and receiving stolen property.

The scavengers are Ibrahim Mohammed, 21; Rabilu Usman, 30; Aminu Saminu, 30; and Fasal Mohammed, 25, all of Ushafa, Bwari, Abuja.

The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The prosecution counsel, Babajide Olanipekun, told the court that the complainant, Mr Sylvester Idemudia of Phase II, Kubwa, Abuja, reported the matter at the Police Command Headquarters in Kubwa on July 6.

Olanipekun told the court that Augustine, who was employed as a security guard at the building site, stole all the electrical cables in the building worth N10.2 million.

During police investigation, he said Augustine confessed that he sold the cables to the scavengers charged alongside him.

The defence counsel, Ms Linda Emosirame, prayed the court to admit her clients to bail, saying they promised to recover the stolen items.

The prosecutor said the offence contravened Sections 312, 289 and 317 of the Penal Code Law.

Senior Magistrate Yusuf Alkali admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N2 million each, with two reliable sureties each in like sum.

Alkali ordered that the sureties must provide valid means of identification and affidavits to fortify the bail bond.

He adjourned the matter until September 16 for hearing.