Bus conductor robs motorist in Lagos traffic, lands in court

                              
A 20-year-old bus conductor, Taiye Taiwo, was on Monday arraigned at a Tinubu Magistrates' Court in Lagos State for allegedly robbing a female motorist of N12,000 cash and her mobile phone. Taiwo, whose address was not provided, is being tried for conspiracy and stealing. He, however, denied the charges.

The prosecutor, Inspector Livinus Okeke, told the court that the bus conductor committed the offences with others still at large on April 20 at UBA Roundabout, Marina, on Lagos Island. He said the accused robbed a motorist, Mrs Vera Denedo, while she was in the traffic. "The accused and his accomplices took advantage of the traffic to steal from the complainant, who came to Lagos Island for a business transaction."Her LG mobile phone worth N6,000 and N12,000 cash were stolen by Taiwo and others," he said. "Taiwo, however, ran out of luck when a few days later, the complainant, who was driving on the road, spotted him loitering in the area."At 7.30 a.m. on April 27, the complainant spotted the accused at the same area she was robbed. She immediately alerted the police who apprehended the accused," the prosecutor said. The offences, Okeke noted, contravened sections 285 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. In his ruling, the Magistrate, Mr L.A. Owolabi, granted the accused bail in the sum of N10,000 with a surety in like sum. Owolabi adjourned the case to Tuesday for mention.