Wednesday, December 3, 2025 - A Magistrates’ Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, has remanded a 37-year-old man, Azubike Ugochukwu, in a correctional centre over alleged housebreaking and theft of property valued at N22,594,000.
Ugochukwu was arraigned on a three-count charge of
housebreaking and theft preferred against him by the Ondo State Police Command.
While informing the court that the defendant and others
still at large committed the offences on May 19, 2025, at Ondo Road, Akure, the
police prosecutor, Adebayo Sulaiman, stated that Ugochukwu and other suspects
broke into the residence of one Adara Rawlings.
Sulaiman added that the suspects carted away several
high-value electronics, gadgets, accessories and personal items worth millions
of naira.
The prosecutor listed the stolen items to include one
Samsung S20 FE, one Samsung S6 Lite tablet, two iPhone 13s, two Samsung Note 20
Ultras, one Itel P65, one HP ProBook (640GB), two Dell XPS 9343 laptops, one
iPhone 14 Pro Max and two Samsung Note 8s.
According to Sulaiman, the offences contravened Sections
383(2)(a), 390(9), 412 and 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 37, Vol. 1, Laws of
Ondo State, 2006. He further added that other items stolen included one
Alienware M15 R5 laptop, one HP EliteDisplay S14 portable monitor and one
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 detachable keyboard.
Other items allegedly stolen were bags containing laptop
chargers, two phone chargers, one MSI Bravo laptop, one MSI Raider GE66, one
Dell Precision 7560, two MSI Raider GE78AX laptops, three pieces of jewellery,
one body cream, one pack of bathing soap and N35,000 cash, all valued at
N22,594,000.
The prosecutor further told the court that one Chukwuemeka
Paul had stood as surety for the defendant while he was in police custody, but
Ugochukwu allegedly absconded after being released to the surety. He was,
however, later tracked and rearrested in Ikorodu, Lagos State.
Urging the court to refuse the bail application, the
prosecutor cited the seriousness of the allegations. In response, counsel to
the defendant, A. I. Shaibu, appealed to the court to consider his client’s
fundamental right to liberty.
Meanwhile, the magistrate, Damilola Sekoni, granted the
prosecution’s prayer and ordered that Ugochukwu be remanded at the Olokuta
Correctional Facility in Akure. The case was adjourned untill January 19, 2026,
for hearing.
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