A 22-year-old man, Abba Garuba, has been remanded in Ilesa Correctional Centre by an Osogbo Magistrate’s Court, Osun State, for allegedly stealing wire worth N1.5 million.
The police in the state also informed the court that Garuba escaped from the custody of Dugbe Police State in Osogbo after he was arrested.
Police Prosecutor, Adeoye Kayode, said that it took efforts of gallant police officers on duty who chased Garuba and caught him.
Shockingly, after Garuba was arraigned and remanded by the court presided over by Magistrate A. O. Odeleye, over the offences, broke the handcuffs and bolted away in the court premises when he was about to be handed over to officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service.
“The Investigation Police Officer had cuffed Garuba with himself and was taking him.to the prison officials. Suddenly, the accused broke the iron-made handcuffs, jumped the court fence and ran into farmland close to the court.
“Immediately he escaped, we started chasing him. Unfortunately for him, he ran into a farmer in the bush he entered and started attacking the farmer and wanted to dispossess him of his cutlass. The farmer was fighting him when we arrived at the scene and picked him up. This happened after he might have escaped from our police station,” Kayode explained.
Garuba had pleaded not guilty to the two count charge of stealing and unlawful escape from custody leveled against him.
“That you Abba Garuba, on the 15th October, 2024 at about 6:00pm at G.R.A. Area, Oke-Fia, Osogbo in the Osogbo Magisterial District did steal some electric wire worth One Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N1, 500,000:00K) only, property of one Oladipupo Ajibua and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 390 of the Criminal Code CAP 34 Vol. II Laws of Osun State of Nigeria 2002.
“On the 16th October, 2024 at about 9:30am at Dugbe Police Station, Osogbo in the aforementioned Magisterial District did escape from lawful custody of Dugbe Police Station to Stadium Area, Osogbo and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 135 of the Criminal Code CAP 34 VOL. II Laws of Osun State of Nigeria 2002,” the charge read.
The defendant pleaded not guilty. A lawyer in the courtroom represented Garuba and urged the court to grant him bail.
Magistrate A. O. Odeleye said the defendant had shown that he could not make himself available for trial after escaping two consecutive times.
Odeleye remanded the accused person in Ilesa Correctional Centre and adjourned the matter till March 5 for mention.
