A 22-year-old trader, Abdulrazak Lawal, appeared before a Kado Grade I Area Court, Abuja on Wednesday, February 15, for allegedly swindling a commercial sex worker.
The defendant was said to have refused to pay the sex worker for her services and also stole her mobile phones worth N266,000.
The police charged Lawal of Jabi Daki-biyu, Abuja with cheating and theft.
The Prosecution Counsel, Mr Stanley Nwafoaku, told the court that on January 30 at 3:50 pm, the complainant, Ms Charity Joseph of Jabi Masalachi, Abuja, reported the matter at Life Camp Police Station.
Nwafoaku alleged that on January 25 around midnight, the sex worker was approached by the defendant for her services.
He said the defendant negotiated with the complainant to pay N10,000 for the night at White House Hotel Jabi Daki-biyu, Abuja.
The prosecution counsel alleged that the defendant stole the complainant’s iPhone valued at N266,000.
Nwafoaku further told the court that the defendant did not pay the N10,000 as agreed, adding that after Lawal was arrested all efforts to recover the phones proved abortive.
He said the defendant admitted to having sold the phones to one Abba, who absconded to Katsina State, at N35,000.
Nwafoaku said the offence contravened sections 322 and 288 of the penal code law.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The defence counsel, Charity Nwosu, made a bail application for the defendants 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 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 N150,000 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 March 1 for hearing.
