A Magistrates’ Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, has remanded a 37-year-old man, Azubike Ugochukwu, in a correctional centre over alleged housebreaking and theft of property valued at N22,594,000.
Ugochukwu was arraigned on a three-count charge of housebreaking and theft preferred against him by the Ondo State Police Command.
While informing the court that the defendant and others still at large committed the offences on May 19, 2025, at Ondo Road, Akure, the police prosecutor, Adebayo Sulaiman, stated that Ugochukwu and other suspects broke into the residence of one Adara Rawlings.
Sulaiman added that the suspects carted away several high-value electronics, gadgets, accessories and personal items worth millions of naira.
The prosecutor listed the stolen items to include one Samsung S20 FE, one Samsung S6 Lite tablet, two iPhone 13s, two Samsung Note 20 Ultras, one Itel P65, one HP ProBook (640GB), two Dell XPS 9343 laptops, one iPhone 14 Pro Max and two Samsung Note 8s.
According to Sulaiman, the offences contravened Sections 383(2)(a), 390(9), 412 and 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 37, Vol. 1, Laws of Ondo State, 2006. He further added that other items stolen included one Alienware M15 R5 laptop, one HP EliteDisplay S14 portable monitor and one Microsoft Surface Pro 7 detachable keyboard.
Other items allegedly stolen were bags containing laptop chargers, two phone chargers, one MSI Bravo laptop, one MSI Raider GE66, one Dell Precision 7560, two MSI Raider GE78AX laptops, three pieces of jewellery, one body cream, one pack of bathing soap and N35,000 cash, all valued at N22,594,000.
The prosecutor further told the court that one Chukwuemeka Paul had stood as surety for the defendant while he was in police custody, but Ugochukwu allegedly absconded after being released to the surety. He was, however, later tracked and rearrested in Ikorodu, Lagos State.
Urging the court to refuse the bail application, the prosecutor cited the seriousness of the allegations. In response, counsel to the defendant, A. I. Shaibu, appealed to the court to consider his client’s fundamental right to liberty.
Meanwhile, the magistrate, Damilola Sekoni, granted the prosecution’s prayer and ordered that Ugochukwu be remanded at the Olokuta Correctional Facility in Akure. The case was adjourned untill January 19, 2026, for hearing.