Three men including two brothers, who allegedly issued another company’s receipt for a car they sold to a customer, were on Monday arraigned in Lagos.
The accused — Chimezue Nkumeh, 25; Izuchukwu Nkumeh, 27; and Jamiu Oloyede, 35 — are being tried for conspiracy and stealing at an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court.
The accused, who reside at Akute in Ogun and Ojokoro in Lagos respectively, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
According to the Police Prosecutor, ASP Ezekiel Ayorinde, the accused committed the offences on April 10 at Abule-Egba on Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
The accused stole a receipt booklet of Rahamat Nigeria Enterprises, property of Abiodun Ogunbodede and issued one of the receipts to a man who bought a car from them, he told the court.
Ayorinde said the theft was discovered when the complainant was called by the buyer using the phone number on receipt issued that the car was faulty.
“The complainant received a called from one Wisdow claiming that the Toyota Camry car he sold to him was not working well.
“The complainant denied selling the vehicle while the buyer insisted that he saw the number on the receipt given to him.
“After investigations, it was discovered that the accused stole the complainant’s receipt and issued it to the buyer,” Ayorinde told the court.
The prosecutor said the buyer took the complainant and the police to a welder’s shop where he bought the car.
“When they got there, they met the accused where they displayed two other cars for sale which were suspected to have been stolen.
“When searched, the complainant’s cash receipt booklet was recovered from them.
“The accused were unable to give a satisfactory account of how they came about the two cars they displayed for sale and they were arrested.”
The offences contravened Sections 281, 382 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 382 provides seven years jail term for falsely representation.
The Magistrate, Mrs B.O. Osunsanmi, granted bail to the accused in the sum of N200, 000 each with one surety each.
She said the sureties should be gainfully employed with evidence of two years tax payment to the Lagos State Government.
The case was adjourned until June 4 for mention. (NAN)