BY CHINYERE ABIAZIEM

LAGOS — Five traders were, yesterday, docked for stealing, shop breaking and receiving stolen property of one Edozie Chike.

The defendants who deal in pharmaceutical products around Onikoyi Lane, Idumota, reportedly broke into Chike’s shop on the same lane between February and March 5 and carted away various pharmaceutical products valued at N2.5 million which they sold to one Chinedu Innocent Udegbunen.

Chike reported the incident to the Police and demanded that his goods or its monetary equivalent be returned to him.
Upon investigations, the suspects were  apprehended and Udegbunen chose to return the goods to Chike.

Meanwhile, the magistrate, Mr I. Abolarinwa faulted the prosecutor for ‘persecuting’ instead of prosecuting the fifth defendant. As he stated: ”Why should the police persecute instead of prosecuting the fifth defendant? Why should the police again charge him to court? Prosecuting him is like giving him a second judgment.”

In his defence, the prosecutor said there was no document proving Udegbunen’s claim of returning the goods to the complainant, hence his appearing in court.
The magistrate went further to charge the police to be in tune with global criminal resolution trends, as he stated:”Police should wake up and allign themselves with current criminal resolution methods.”
However, Udegbunen was discharged and acquitted while the other four defendants were granted bail in sum of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum.