News

OLE! 24-Year-Old Man Bursts Into Catholic Church To Steal N51,000 from Offering Box

Published

8 years ago

June 6, 2016

A man has found himself in more trouble than he could handle after he stormed a church and made away with a huge of amount of money. Osiobugie Larry, a 24-year-old man, has admitted that he stole N51, 000 from a Catholic Church in Victoria Island.
According to Nigerian Tribune, Larry, who has no fixed address, was arraigned by the police from the Lagos Island Division before Magistrate H. O. Amos of an Igbosere Magistrate Court on a five-count charge of breaking, entering and stealing.
The police accused him of committing the offence in the month of March and May at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church on 14B, Musa Yar’Adua Street, Victoria Island.
Prosecuting Sergeant Tubi Olajide said on March 30, around 2:00 a.m., the defendant broke into the church and stole N10, 000 cash from the church’s offertory box.
He alleged that Larry returned again on May 30, and stole N41, 000 cash from the same offertory box. He added that Larry was apprehended by the church’s security guards and handed over to the police.
When the charge was read to the accused in English, he pleaded guilty. Magistrate Amos adjourned the matter till June 13, for facts and sentencing.
Lagos State Task Force said it had arrested and charged to court a notorious land grabber and five other members of his gang at Makoko area of state.
Chairman of the Task Force, Saheed Egbeyemi, while parading Mr Olalekan Olaiya and his gang, disclosed that the Agency was bombarded with many petitions about illegal activities of notorious land grabbers around Makoko area of the state.
According to Egbeyemi, the gang leader, Olalekan Olaiya and his members have been terrorising land and property owners at Makoko area, asking them to come and re-purchase their respective properties with various prices ranging from N10 million to N50 million each, claiming that all landed properties around the area belong to their great-grand-fathers who leased them out in 1950s.
The Task Force boss claimed that Olaiya and his gang, including Mojeed Olaiya, Olusegun Olaiya, Ibrahim Bada, Abiodun Olaewe and Benson Filate were arrested by operatives of the Agency when they were wilfully and unlawfully removing the corrugated iron sheets of the roof of the property of Mrs Basirat Kosoko at 22, Olaiya Street, Makoko, Yaba.
Egbeyemi hinted that the arrested six-man land grabbers’ gang illegally destroyed and stole properties worth N3 million at the above mentioned address at Makoko and confirmed that they had all been charged to Lagos State Special Offences Court.
Sergeant Anisere Taiwo and Mr Femi Alabi confirmed that they all pleaded not guilty and they were given bail condition of N250,000 with 2 sureties admissible to be verified in like sum with the continuation of the case on June 26, 2016.
Olaiya and his gang however claimed that they never knew it was illegal to start destroying properties by removing their roofing sheet and damaging doors, including windows and demanding more money from respective owners.
He added they never inherited any legal document from their fore-fathers to back up their claims and that,
“Justice should be tempered with mercy.”
They all promised to be law abiding and never terrorise any landed property owners around Makoko again.