ROBBERY AT FRSC: COURT JAILS TWO GUARDS

For conspiracy and stealing of property belonging to the Issele Uku Unit Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps and tyre from contravened vehicles, a chief magistrate court presided over by Mr. Sylvester Ehikwe has sentences two night guards to two years imprisonment.

The accused persons, Augustine Okpor and Nnamdi Chidi were night guards engaged by the FRSC to guard and protect vehicles and their accessories within the premises of the Issele Ukwu Unit Command in Delta State until 4th  September, 2009 when the FRSC office was burgled during which a 2.5KV generator and 7 lorry tyres and their rims were stolen.

According to the Investigating Police Officer, the FRSC Command at Issele Uku reported a case of stealing and in the course of investigation, the night guard who were on duty when the robbery took place, could not offer satisfactory explanation on the missing items, which were kept in their custody and were subsequently charged to court.

Details of the evidence on record as agreed upon by the prosecution witnesses and the accused persons indicate that the two lorries were jacked up with woods. Therefore, it might have taken up to 5 hours for the thieves to have perfected their mission, which did not amount to abandonment  or dereliction of duty but a case of conspiracy to commit the offence as charged and punishable under section 390 (9) of the Criminal Code, Laws of the Defunct Bendel State 1976 as applicable now to Delta State.

In a plea for leniency, the defense counsel described one of the accused persons as a first offender and married with children but the court ruled that the accused persons betrayed the confidence reposed on them and sentenced them to 2 years’ jail term each to run concurrently on the four count charge. 
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