The trial of movie marketer, Seun Egbegbe, alleged to have stolen nine iPhones from a shop in Computer Village, Lagos, was stalled on Wednesday at an Ikeja Magistrate owing to the failure of the Police to produce the defendant in court.
Although, Chief Magistrate, Mrs. Y.O. Aje-Afunwa had set the date for commencement of trial, but neither the Police nor the defendant were in court for the proceedings.
A Police source however told journalists that the suspect’s failure to appear in court was because he is still in Police custody over alleged foreign exchange scam committed at Gbagada last week.
The movie marketer was arraigned before Chief Magistrtate (Mrs) Aje-Afunwa in November last year for allegedly stealing nine I-Phones from a company, Kaaltex Innovation Consultancy situated at the computer Village, Ikeja
The police had arraigned Egbegbe on a one-count charge bordering on stealing.
The police, in the charge preferred against Egbegbe stated that the stolen iPhones were worth N2.4m.
The charge reads, “That you, Oluwaseun Olasunkami, on November 22, 2016, at about 9am, at 9, Simbiat Abiola Way, Ikeja, in the Ikeja Magisterial District, did steal nine iPhone 6s, valued at N2,400,000, property of one Kaaltex Innovation Consutancy, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 278 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.”
Egbegbe had pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge preferred against him by the Police. He was granted bail in the sum of N1 million and two sureties in the like sum.
Meanwhile, Chief Magistrate Aje-Afunwa has fixed April 12, 2017 for the trial.