Court discharges 30-year-old man accused of stealing roommate’s bag

By Imelda Osayande
Discharge
Benin, March 13, 2020 (NAN) An Oredo Magistrates’ Court in Benin, on Friday, discharged a 30-year-old man, David Okoro, who was charged with stealing a bag containing personal effects of his roommate.
The Magistrate, Esosa Osifo-Ehigiegbe said that she had to dismiss the case, but not on its merit.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the defendant was discharged, following an application by the Police Prosecutor, ASP. Violent Soyemi, who asked the court to dismiss the case because the complainant, Mr Kenneth Okeke, said he was no longer interested in the case.
Okeke had said that he had earlier told the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) that he wanted to withdraw the case.
According to him, the defendant has no relation in Benin and appealed to the court that he did not want the case to continue.
The police had arraigned the defendant on a one-count charge of stealing, to which he, however, pleaded not guilty.
Soyemi had said that on March 7, at No. 4, Victory lane, Off New Lagos Road, New Benin, the defendant stole a bag containing Jeans trousers, a pair of canvass, an Itel phone, valued N70,000 and N30,000 cash, being the property of Okeke.

She explained that Okeke left the bag in the room but it later got missing, adding that no other person was present in the room.
The prosecutor added that both the defendant and complainant lived in the same apartment and worked in the same bakery. (NAN)
IMEL/USO/WAS
Edited by Sam Oditah and ‘Wale Sadeeq