The police on Friday arraigned two mechanics before a Makurdi Upper Area Court for alleged criminal conspiracy and theft.
The defendants, Ander Manger and Terhamen Ataan, whose house addresses were not provided, were transferred from ‘ B’ Division Police Station, Gboko to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Makurdi via letter No: AR: 3100/BNS/GB/B/Vol.9/153, dated Dec. 28, 2022.
The Police Prosecutor, Insp. Godwin Ato told the court that on Dec.20, the complainant, Igbadoo Nyajo, who hails from Adagu Mbaya Tambo Village in the Buruku Local Government Area of Benue, reported the case at the ‘B’ Division Police Station, Gboko.
He said the complainant allegedly gave his faulty Peugeot 504 pickup van to the defendants for repairs with N4. 6 million inside the car and then took a walk to get an item from a nearby shop.
“When I came back, I discovered that the money I kept inside the vehicle was stolen by the mechanics Ander Manger and Terhemen Ataan,” the complainant had told the police investigating officer.
The prosecutor told the court that during the police investigation, the defendants were allegedly found culpable of the crime.
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He said the offense contravened Sections 97 and 288 of the Panel Code Law, 2004 of Benue State.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges
The Magistrate, Mr. Vershima Hwande, granted the defendants bail in the sum of N400, 000 each in like sum with a surety each in like sum.
Hwande ruled that the sureties must be civil servants either in the Benue State or Federal Government service.
He adjourned the case to Feb. 20 for further mention.
