A 44-year-old chef, Anthony Umoh, was on Friday docked in a Kado Grade I Area Court, Abuja for allegedly shielding an offender.
The Police charged Umoh, who lives in Apo, Abuja, with screening of an offender.
The Prosecution Counsel, Me Stanley Nwafoaku, alleged that on Oct. 5, at about 4 p.m., the complainant Maureen Okoloji, of EFAB Global Estate, Abuja, reported the matter at Life Camp Police Station.
Nwafoaku alleged that sometime in November 2021, the defendant brought a house help to the complainant’s residence to work and after two weeks, the boy complained of being sick.
He told the court that, the complainant called the defendant to take the newly employed boy called Saviour for treatment, and afterwards they never returned to the house again.
The prosecution counsel further alleged that a few days after Saviour left the house, the complainant noticed that he had stolen her Samsung Galaxy phone worth N130, 000.
Nwafoaku added that the domestic staff also used the phone to deceive the complainant’s customers defrauding them of their money worth N160, 000.
He said Okoloji on several occasions reached out to the defendant to produce the domestic staff to her residence but all efforts failed until he was arrested on Oct.5.
The prosecution council said the offence contravene section 167 of the penal code law.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Defence Counsel, Charity Nwosu made a bail application for her client in the most liberal terms.
Nwosu made the application citing sections 36 of the 1999 constitution and sections 158 of the Administration of the Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, promising that the defendant will not jump bail if granted the same.
The prosecution counsel, however, did not object to the bail application made by the defence counsel.
The Judge, Muhammed Wakili admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N100, 000 and one surety in like sum.
Wakili ordered that the surety must provide a BVN printout, a recent passport photograph and a valid identification card, which must be verified by the court registrar.
The Judge adjourned the matter until Jan.10, 2023 for hearing.
