A Chief Magistrate Court in Port Harcourt, on Friday, remanded two men in prison custody for allegedly stealing a tricycle popularly known as ‘Keke’.
The two men, Charles Udo, 27 and Kingsley Effiong 20, were accused of stealing a tricycle belonging to one Ogechi Tamunnoapriku.
It was gathered that the plaintiff contracted one of the accused, Effiong, to operate the tricycle on a hire purchase basis with an agreement remit of N15,000 weekly in order to qualify to own the tricycle after the payment of the full amount of N249,000.
It was also gathered that after a few days of payment, Effiong was said to have conspired with Udo and another man now at large to sell the tricycle and lied to the owner that it was stolen.
Chigenu Nwokwe, the prosecutor, informed the court that the accused committed the offences on June 3, 2019, along Dr Peter Odili Road, Trans Amadi, Port Harcourt.
He explained that the offences contravened sections 516(A) of the Criminal Code Cap 37 Vol. II Laws of Nigeria, 1999, and 390(10A) of the Criminal Code Cap 37 Vol. II, Laws of Rivers State, 1999.
Both accused pleaded not guilty to the two count charges preferred against them.
The Chief Magistrate, Felicita Amanze, after ordering that the accused be remanded in prison custody, adjourned the matter till July 3, 2019, for a hearing of the bail application.