An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday sentenced a 39-year-old truck driver, George Emmanuel, to six years imprisonment for stealing 1,001 cartons of “darling” hair products worth N27 million.
Emmanuel, and his accomplice, Emmanuel John 26, a security officer whose addresses were not provided, were charged with three counts bordering on conspiracy and theft.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the convicts stole the products from their employer, Godrej Nigeria Limited.
The Magistrate, Mr Lateef Owolabi, sentenced the defendants to two years’ imprisonment with an option of N200,000 fine, each.
He sentenced the first defendant alone to four years’ imprisonment and an option of N300,000 fine as well as to six months in jail with an option of N10,000 fine.
Owolabi, however, held that the sentences should run concurrently.
He added that the convicts should restitute full amount of the products, shared equally by both defendants.
Owolabi said the accounts by the defendants were full of lies and inconsistencies and the first defendant gave feeble evidence to the allegations.
According to the presiding Magistrate, the first defendant clearly deviated from a robust defence to a feeble allegation that a supervisor, Mr Shoyoye, attempted to set him up.
He said: “I sentence the defendants as follows, on counts one and two, two full year’s each imprisonment or a fine of N200,000 each.
“Count three, the first defendant alone to four full year’s imprisonment or a fine of N300,000 fines shall be consecutive, while terms shall be concurrent, sentence is from today.
“The defendants shall also restitute the complainant to the full amount of the Darling hair products as set out in the charge sheet to be shared in equal amount by the defendants.
“The restitution shall be paid before the release of the defendants. Thus, even if the defendants pays the fine, they shall not be released until the satisfaction of the restitution to the complainant.
“Further any amount found in the account numbers in any traceable bank belonging to the defendants shall be paid to Godrej Nig Ltd, the complainant, as restitution for the full amount of the braids, if the amount is less than the restitution sum, the complainant is at liberty to recover the amount through any legal means,” he said.
According to Owolabi, the first defendant did drive the loaded truck out of the premises on Sunday which was not a working day, and returned same empty on Monday.
He said this crime had caused the company severe loss without any hope of restitution and only custodial sentence would suffice.
He said: “However, this type of nefarious crimes needs to be curtailed, I am of the firm view that any punishment devoid of custodial sentencing shall be inappropriate.
“There is a strong need to send a message to the defendants and the general public at large in this regards,”he added.
NAN reports that the prosecutor, SP Josephine Ikhayere, had said that the convicts, between May and July 2021 conspired among themselves to steal the goods, contrary to Sections 411, 280 and 287(7) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The defendants were first arrainged on Jan 27, 2022.
Source – NAN