A friend in need is a friend indeed, a popular adage says. This is not the case for a 20-year-old man named Nuru Issa who was caught trying to steal lace materials from a shop having been contracted by a friend who was the sales boy in the shop.
The sales buy, Yahu, who has since taken to his heels, had allegedly given Nuru Issa a duplicate key to the shop located at 39, Ereko street, Ereko Market, Lagos Island, so that he could steal the lace materials, PM news reported.
Issa said his friend told him he wanted to use the proceeds from the sale of the lace materials to settle some family problems.
He was however arrested with about 5 bundles of lace materials by watchful traders at the market who apprehended him and invited the police to arrest him.
Issa who said he was a load carrier in the market, stated: “What surprised me now is that since I was arrested, my friend who was supposed to come to the police station to inform the police that he contracted me to help him steal the lace materials has abandoned me to suffer alone.”
The owner of the shop, Alhaja Sherifat Olugbode said after thorough investigations she discovered lace materials to the tune of N1.7million were missing.
Issa was charged before Magistrate Mrs J.O.A Adepoju of the Igbosere Magistrate Court, accused of stealing 95 bundles of lace materials valued at N1.7milliom.
He pleaded not guilty and the magistrate granted him bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum before adjoining the case till October 26.