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Police arraign six for tampering with NITEL cables

By Joseph Onyekwere
15 February 2015   |   5:42 pm
THE Lagos State Criminal Investigation Department of the Nigeria Police has apprehended six men for allegedly tampering with underground armoured cables belonging to the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited. They were arraigned before a Federal High Court, Lagos.    The six accused persons are Adolphus Audu, 28; Marcel Mmadu, 25; Paul Bassey, 27; Kabiru Garuba, 30; Abdulrasaki…

THE Lagos State Criminal Investigation Department of the Nigeria Police has apprehended six men for allegedly tampering with underground armoured cables belonging to the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited. They were arraigned before a Federal High Court, Lagos.

   The six accused persons are Adolphus Audu, 28; Marcel Mmadu, 25; Paul Bassey, 27; Kabiru Garuba, 30; Abdulrasaki Musa, 27; and Ahmed Babatunde, 23. They were last week arraigned on two counts bordering on conspiracy and unlawful damage of NITEL property.

   According to the charge filed before Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia by the police, the accused with some persons still at large allegedly committed the offence on October 22, 2013.

   The prosecutor, Mr. Goddy Osuyi, told the court that, “the accused on the said date, at Union Bank Car Park, Marina, Lagos, unlawfully disconnected, tampered with, removed and damaged underground armoured wires or cables, belonging to NITEL, the value of which is yet to be ascertained.”

   According to Osuyi, the alleged acts violated Section 516 of the Criminal Code Act. Cap C38, Vol. 4, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

   The prosecutor added that the accused were also liable to punishment under Section 1 (11) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap. M17, Vol. 9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

   But upon reading the two counts to the accused, the six of them, however, denied the allegations, as they pleaded not guilty. Though, they all applied for bail, only the second defendant, Mmadu, was able to secure bail in the sum of N200,000.

   He was asked to provide two reputable sureties in sums worth the bail amount. The sureties, the court added, were to own landed properties within 200 metres radius of the court.

   Meanwhile, the court ordered his prison remand along with the others pending when he would perfect the bail conditions and adjourned further proceedings to March 25, 2015.

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