A driver with a Lagos-based company, Godwin Ochogwu, on Thursday appeared before an Ogudu Magistrates’ Court for allegedly stealing telecommunications equipment worth N26.05 million.
Ochogwu, 27, who was arraigned before Magistrate Mrs O. A. Daodu, is facing a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and stealing.
He, however, pleaded not guilty.
The police prosecutor, Insp Sunday Bassey, told the court that the defendant and others still at large committed the offences between July and Oct. 21 at No. 15, Bola Shoneiki St., Ogudu GRA, Lagos.
Bassey said the defendant, who worked as a company driver, was captured on the company’s CCTV footage stealing vital telecommunications equipment from its technical store.
He listed the stolen items to include: 10 pieces of radio remote units valued at N20 million; two base band units valued at N2 million; and 14 pieces of SFP modules (10 grammes) valued at N400,000.
Others include 12 pieces of SFP modules (one gramme) valued at N300,000; two base band power cables worth N100,000 and 13 fibre cables valued at N3.25 million.
The prosecutor said the total value of the stolen items was N26.05 million, property of Omnicom Solutions Ltd.
He added that the offences contravened Sections 280, 287(7) and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The magistrate granted the defendant bail in the sum of N500,000 with two responsible sureties in like sum and adjourned the case until November 21 for mention.
Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.
Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.
He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.
Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).
He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.
He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.
Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.
