BY DAUD  OLATUNJI

ABEOKUTA — An Ogun State High Court, sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta, yesterday, discharged and acquitted a 32-year-old suspected robber, Fatai Adeniji, after spending three years in prison for lack of evidence.

*Nigerian prison

The accused was arrested in Abeokuta, Ogun State for robbing  one Taiwo Ogunjide of her gold necklace valued at N20,000  and two ATM cards, on September  16, 2011  at  Oke Lantoro, Abeokuta.
The accused was subsequently arraigned and remanded in prison since 2011 before he was set free yesterday by Justice Olanrewaju Majekodunmi due to  failure of Police to identify the real culprit.

In his judgment, Justice Majekodunmi said: “The information in proof of the evidence shows that there was a robbery. What is to be focused and proved is whether the defendant before the court was among the gang that carried out the robbery. The issue to also consider is whether there is an identification linked to the defendants.

“According to the report, Taiwo, the victim of the robbery, never identified the defendant as part of the robbery gang which  makes his statement to the Police insufficient.
“Furthermore, the accused was not arrested at the scene of the crime, the prosecution could not prove the identification of the defendant.

“The court cannot accept the Police officer’s meresay, given by Mrs.Taiwo. The defendant has said he has never  met Mrs. Taiwo before.
“He also added that the statement was not written by him, that the Police only asked of his name, address and occupation.

“The prosecution has not proved that the Police caught the real culprit, the defendant is hereby acquitted and discharged.”

19-year-old remanded for stealing phones, others
Meantime, the  Ogun State Police, yesterday, arraigned a 19-year-old man, Yemi Ogungbade, before the  magistrate’s court sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta for stealing.

The prosecutor, Inspector  Augustine Ozimini, told the court that the acussed committed the crime  at Lafenwa market in Abeokuta on June 27.
According to Ozimini, the acussed  broke into a shop belonging to one  Johnson Izuchukwu and stole phones, memory cards, phone cases, phone batteries and earphones, all valued at  N100,000.