Abdulrazak Lawal, a 22-year-old merchant appeared before a Kado Grade I Area Court in Abuja on Wednesday, February 15, for allegedly defrauding a commercial sex worker.
The defendant was accused of refusing to pay the sex worker for her services and stealing N266,000 in mobile phones from her.
Lawal of Jabi Daki-biyu, Abuja, was charged with deception and stealing by the police.
Mr. Stanley Nwafoaku, the Prosecution Counsel, informed the court that on January 30 at 3:50 p.m, the complainant, Ms. Charity Joseph of Jabi Masalachi, Abuja, reported the case to Life Camp Police Station.
Nwafoaku said that the defendant sought the sex worker for her services on January 25 at about midnight.
He said the defendant bargained with the complainant to pay N10,000 for the night at White House Hotel Jabi Daki-biyu, Abuja.
The prosecution claimed that the defendant took the complainant’s iPhone, which was worth N266,000.
Nwafoaku further told the court that the defendant did not pay the agreed-upon N10,000 and that once Lawal was detained, all efforts to retrieve the phones failed.
He stated that the defendant acknowledged selling the phones for N35,000 to one Abba, who fled to Katsina State.
According to Nwafoaku, the offense violated sections 322 and 288 of the criminal code.
The defendant, on the other hand, pled not guilty to the accusation.
Charity Nwosu, the defendants’ defense attorney, applied for bail on the most generous terms possible.
Nwosu made the motion, citing Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution and Section 158 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, assuring that if bail is granted, the defendant will not evade it.
The prosecution attorney, on the other hand, did not oppose the defense lawyer’s bail motion.
The defendant was granted bail in the sum of N150,000 with one surety in the same amount by the Judge, Muhammad Wakili.
Wakili ordered that the surety give a BVN printout, a current passport photograph, and a valid identity card, which the court registrar must verify.
The court postponed the hearing until March 1.
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