An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Wednesday ordered the remand of three men — Ibrahim Waheed, 24, Quadri Olowoshile, 28, and Ganiyu Ogunsanya, 27 — in a correctional facility for allegedly stealing valuable phones while armed.
The defendants, all residents of Lagos Island, are facing charges of conspiracy, armed robbery, stealing, and membership of unlawful societies.
The Magistrate, Mr L.A. Owolabi, declined to take their plea due to lack of jurisdiction.
He instructed the police to forward the case file to the Director of Public Prosecution for legal advice and adjourned the matter to 10 June for mention.
Earlier, the prosecutor, SP Josephine Ikhayere, informed the court that the offences were committed on 30 March at about 4:30 p.m. along Glover and Tapper Streets, Lagos Island.
According to her, the accused robbed one Akanbi Rasheed of a Samsung A40 phone valued at ₦98,000 and a Vivo Y6 phone worth ₦70,000. They also allegedly stole a Redmi A3 phone valued at ₦150,000 from one Risikat Hassan.
Ikhayere further stated that the second and third defendants were members of a secret society known as the Eiye confraternity, while the first defendant and others at large belonged to another proscribed group, the Aiye confraternity.
“By law they are proscribed as unlawful societies,” she said.
The offences are said to contravene Sections 297(1)(2) and 411 of the Lagos State Criminal Law, 2012, and are punishable under Section 2(3)(a)(b)(c) of the Unlawful Societies and Cultism Law of Lagos State, 2021.
(NAN)