A 24-year-old applicant, Pius Destiny, appeared in an Epe Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, for allegedly stabbing a 16-year-old girl over unpaid N50.
Destiny, whose residential address was not provided, is being tried on a two-count charge of conspiracy and causing grievous harm.
The Prosecutor, Sgt. Moses Oyekanmi, told the court that the accused committed the offences at 4.50 p.m. on June 3, at Abraham Adesanya Estate in Ajah Area of Lagos.
Oyekanmi said that the accused, with others now at large, bought food from the complainant with a promise to balance her N50.
He said that when they returned on that day to buy more food, the complainant asked for the N50 but the accused chased and stabbed her on her right hand with a broken bottle.
“My Lord, the complainant who was selling the food for her mother simply requested for the balance of N50 being owed from food the accused and his friends ate.
“Because of N50, the accused assaulted this young girl, she ended up in the hospital and has not been able to use her right hand to do anything since then,” Oyekanmi said.
The offences, he said, contravened sections 243 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. (Revised)
Section 243 prescribes a seven-year jail term for the offence of causing grievous harm while Section 411 provides two-years for conspiracy.
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Magistrate, Mrs O.A Erusiafe-Fowowe, admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N50,000 with two sureties in like sum.
She ordered that the sureties must be gainfully employed and show evidence of two years tax payment to the Lagos State Government.
Erusiafe-Fowowe adjourned the case until Aug. 2 for mention. (NAN)