Two men who allegedly stole N37.5m cars get N10m bail

A Lagos State Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Yaba, on Wednesday, granted N10m bail to two men, Lawrence Ogbechie and Arinze Chinonso, who allegedly stole three Lexus cars valued at N37,500,000.

The court also ordered their remand at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre over the alleged offence.

Magistrate Mrs Ejiro Kubeinje ordered their remand after they took their plea.

Ogbechie, 60, and Chinonso, 43, whose residential addresses were not given, were arraigned on five counts bordering on conspiracy and stealing, preferred against them by the Police.

The police prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police Rita Momah, from Zone 2 Police Headquarters, Onikan, told the court that the defendants conspired amongst themselves and stole the cars.

Momah said the incident took place on January 27, 2024, at the Ijesha Market area in the state.

She alleged that they stole three Lexus ES 350 car 2008 models valued at N12,500,000 each and totalling N37,500,000, property of one Sunday Nnochiri.

According to the prosecutor, the offences committed contravened Sections 411, 280, 247 (9) (b) and 287 (5), (b), (10) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015.

However, the duo pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

Following their not-guilty plea, Momah asked the court for a trial date and urged it to remand them in custody pending trial.

But counsel for the defendants informed the court that she had an application for the bail of the defendants which she consequently moved.

In her ruling on the bail application, Magistrate Kubeinje granted bail to the two defendants in the sum of N5m each with two sureties each in like sum.

The magistrate ordered that one of the sureties must be a civil servant not below Grade level 14 in the service of the Lagos State Government or the Federal Government.

She also ordered that the second surety must be a property owner within Lagos State with both house and office addresses of the sureties verified by the court’s registrar.

The court further ordered that both sureties must produce a three-year tax clearance certificate and deposit two passport photographs each to the court registrar.

She remanded the defendants at the correctional centre, pending the perfection of their bail conditions.

The case was adjourned till March 24, 2025, for mention.