AN Igbosere Magistrates’ Court yesterday sentenced a housemaid, Happiness, 18, and her step-father, Gabriel Igbang, 30, to three-and-a-half years’ imprisonment for stealing N1,150,000 from a Lagos Island apartment.
Magistrate A. T. Omoyele convicted them after Happiness pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing; Igbang pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property.
The court heard that they committed the offences on June 26, at about 8pm, at 30, Massey Street, Lagos Island.
Mrs Omoyele found Happiness guilty of conspiracy and stealing and sentenced her to two-and-a-half years imprisonment without an option of fine.
Igbang, the second defendant, was convicted of receiving stolen property and was jailed one year without an option of fine.
Before the sentences, the magistrate asked the defendants if they had anything to say. Happiness, who did not look remorseful, declined; her step-father said: “The only mistake I made is that I didn’t send her back to her employer with the money when she came to my house.”
Earlier, prosecuting Sergeant Cyricaus Osuji told the court that Happiness sometime in May was contracted by the complainant, Mrs Bolanle Ibukunoluwa, through one Iya Dolapo, as a housemaid.
He said Happiness earned N7000 monthly, payable at the end of the year, after which the first defendant moved to her mistress’ house.
Last June 26, at about 5:30pm, the complainant returned from work at about 8pm and discovered that she had been locked out and Happiness could not be found.
She forced the gate open and discovered that her Lenovo phone, valued at N20,000, was missing. The N1,150,000 she kept in her room was also missing.
Osuji added: “Immediately the complainant saw that her money and phones were missing, she enquired from her neighbours whether they knew her maid’s whereabouts and they said she was seen leaving just before 8pm. So she reported the matter at the police station
“The first defendant was apprehended by the police at Benin City, Edo State, where she ran to, after giving her step-father the money she stole.
“During interrogation, Happiness’ mother and the second defendant admitted collecting money from her, so she took the police to a spot in a bush in Ogun State, where a cash sum of N300,000, was recovered. Another sum of N252,500 was also recovered at another location in the bush.”
The prosecutor added that when the first defendant was arrested, the complainant’s phone was found with her as well as N20,000 cash, which she admitted was part of the stolen money.
“She later told the police that her boyfriend, Samuel, advised her to steal the money.
“She also said she only stole the sum of N600,000, while the second defendant, her step father, said he gave N500,000 of the money to his wife,” Osuji said.
