A 28-year-old robbery suspect on Friday changed his plea from guilty to not guilty as a Yaba Magistrates’ Court was preparing to sentence him.
The accused, Kehinde Ola, had pleaded guilty to the charge of robbery before the court on Tuesday following which the case was adjourned for “facts and sentencing’’.
At the resumed sitting on Friday, Magistrate M.O Tanimola ordered that the charge be read to the accused for the second time.
After the charge was read, the accused entered a not guilty plea and was granted bail in the sum of N50,000 with two sureties in like sum.
Tanimola adjourned the case to June 8 for mention.
Police prosecutor Rita Momoh had told the court, when Ola was first arraigned, that the accused, who resides in the Yaba area of Lagos Mainland, is a panel beater.
She said that on May 2, around the Ijora Olopa Bridge, Lagos, the accused with one other person, now at large, had snatched a Bajaj motorcycle belonging to one Mr Lanre Ujah.
Momoh alleged that the accused pushed Ujah off the motorcycle and fled with it.?
She said that Ujah later laid a complaint at the police station which led to the arrest of the accused and the recovery of the motorcycle.
According to her, the offence contravened Sections 404 and 409 of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State. (NAN)