A 39-year-old lawyer, Chinwuba Ekene, has been remanded in prison custody by a Lagos State Magistrate Court for allegedly forging a court order and stealing a whopping N49,592,000.
The incident occurred in June 2024, at House 6, G Close, 322 Road, FESTAC Town, Lagos, where Ekene allegedly conspired with others to commit the crime. According to the Police Prosecutor, Supol Idowu Osungbure, Ekene forged a court order and used it to break into the apartment of the complainant, Helen Ekwem, and carted away several properties.
The stolen items include a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado Jeep 2020 model, a MacBook pro Laptop, seven pairs of original suits, 15 industrial fans, and several other valuable items. The total value of the stolen properties is estimated at N49,592,000.
Ekene, who was arraigned before Magistrate Ali Balogun, pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. The court granted him bail in the sum of N10 million with two sureties in like sum. The sureties must show evidence of means of livelihood and tax payment, and their addresses will be verified by the court.
The case has been rescheduled for February 13, 2025, to allow the court to reconvene and review the case. Meanwhile, Ekene will remain in custody at the correctional facility until he meets the conditions of his bail.
