A gateman, Butrus Ayuba, a former employee of one Rosita Osoba, was yesterday sentenced to a total of five years imprisonment after pleading guilty before an Igbosere magistrate court in Lagos to stealing his boss’ goods.
Ayuba, and one Madu Thigwar, who was said to have purchased the stolen goods from him, were handed two years imprisonment for count one of conspiracy and three years for count two of conspiracy by Chief Magistrate Mrs. Doja Ojo.
The complainant informed the court that on July 3, 2012, she dropped her house keys with her gateman, Ayuba, on the ground that a carpenter would come at noon to fix her roof.
Upon arrival of the said carpenter, he called the husband of the complainant that the house could not be accessed as everywhere was under lock.
The complainant’s husband called and informed her. Upon receiving this information, the complainant drove to her house at No 123, Corporation Drive, Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi.
On arrival, she found the main gate to her house under lock. She called her gateman several times but his phone was switched off.
So she broke the door in order to have access to the house. Upon entering the house, the main door to the main building was met ajar.
She went upstairs and all the doors to the rooms had been broken and many of her personal properties carted away.
Osoba reported the matter to the police, who eventually tracked the gateman’s phone and discovered he was somewhere in Uba, Borno State.
Detectives went to the said location and arrested the second defendant, Thigwar, with some of the properties allegedly carted away by the gateman. The gateman was also arrested a few days later and he confessed to the crime.
In their plea for mercy, the convicts said they were remorseful and promised to henceforth be of good character. They also asked the court to temper justice with mercy.
