Company Driver Jailed 17 Months Over Theft Of N602,000

A Surulere Magistrates’ Court last Thursday in Lagos sentenced a 35-year-old driver to 17 months imprisonment with hard labour for stealing N602,000, property of his employer.

The accused, Sunday Olubumo, had earlier pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Magistrate A.O.Tobi said Olubumo was guilty of the offence, noting that he was not truthful in his testimony before the court.

“The accused is found guilty of the offence going by the facts before the court. He is not truthful in his testimony.

“He is hereby sentenced to 17 months imprisonment with hard labour,’’ she ruled.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Cpl. Samuel Ishola, told the court that the accused had on February 25, 2009 at Lawanson Road, Surulere, Lagos, stolen the money, property of Paymaster Bureau de Change, Ojuelegba, Surulere.

He said the driver, who had only worked for the company for only 10 days, had taken a clerk, Mrs Folake Lawal, to the bank to deposit the money.

“When Lawal got to the bank, she met a long queue and she asked the driver to go and turn. In the process, the driver made away with the money in the car booth,’’Ishola said.

The prosecutor said the managing director of the company later sighted the accused in Akure, Ondo State, and invited the police who arrested him.

He said the offence contravened Section 390 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State.