Lagos Magistrate Drags Houseboy To Court Over N650,000 Theft

  BY ADEYEMI ADEBANJO

A serving magistrate in the employment of Lagos State Judiciary, Mrs. Adenike Adeeyo has dragged her houseboy, Prince Boating to a Lagos Magistrate Court over allegation stealing items totalling N650, 000 belonging to her. In the charge sheet with identification MIK/A/68/2008, Prince Boating, a Togolese is said to have stole one canon camera, one case logic of the camera Jessops, camera battery, one senifierter pair of cloth, canon charger, 12 yards of wax one cloth and two bottles of perfumes all valued at N650, 000. The one count charge read in part that: “You Prince Boating ‘M’ of No 35 Oduduwa Crescent, Ikeja in the Ikeja magisterial District did steal one canon camera, one case logic of the camera Jessops, camera battery, one senifierter pair of cloth, canon charger, 12 yards of wax one cloth and two bottle of perfumes all valued at N650, 000 property of one Adenike Adeeyo and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 390 (9) of the Criminal Code Cap C17 Vol. II, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria , 2003. Prince Boating pleaded not guilty to the charge. Meanwhile National Mirror gathered that although Prince Boating was not found with the items, Magistrate Adeeyo appeared convinced that he is responsible for the disappearance of the items. Not even attempts to convince Mrs. Adeeyo by siblings of Prince Boating as to his innocence yielded any result. And as if to confirm that there may be more to the matter than meet the eye, the presiding magistrate who is handing the case (rumoured to be a close pal of Mrs. Adeeyo), Mr. Sonuga imposed conditions considered too stiff for a houseboy to meet before he could be granted bail. Prince Boating was granted bail in the sum of N1 million with two sureties. One of the sureties, the court directed, must be a civil servant in Lagos State and must be at Grade Level 13 or above and must also obtain a letter from his ministry. The second surety must be a senior staff of a reputable company in Ikeja and he must have up to date tax certificate with development levy. The matter has been adjourned till 3rd of November for trial.