The Lagos State Police Command has arraigned a 37-year-old man, Nwafor Onyebuchi, before the Lagos State Magistrates’ Court sitting in Badagry for allegedly stealing N21m from a Catholic church.
According to The PUNCH, the suspect faces counts bordering on conspiracy, stealing, and breaching of public peace.
The defendant committed the crime on December 21, 2022, at Saint Patrick Catholic Church in Alaba in the state’s Ojo region, according to the prosecutor, Inspector Ayodele Adeosun.
He claimed that the accused allegedly stole funds intended for the church’s expansion.
According to Adeosun, the defendant used the money for personal expenses.
The prosecutor further informed the court that the defendant stole from the church and behaved in a way that was likely to disturb the peace.
It was also stated that, the offence committed contravened Sections 287, 168 and 307 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The defendant, however, entered a plea of not guilty to the alleged offense.
Magistrate T. A. Popoola, however, granted the defendant bail in the amount of N1 million with two sureties in the same amount.
Popoola ruled that both sureties must provide proof of three years of tax payments to the Lagos State Government, and that one of the sureties must be linked to the defendant.
The matter was postponed to June 5, 2023, for mention.
