A lotto agent, Ogechi Okeke, and his friend, Rasak Sanni, may be spending the Yuletide and New Year in the Kirikiri Medium Prison after the former crashed a Range Rover Jeep into a hospital along the Costain-Oyingbo Road, Lagos.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the owner of the Jeep, Rueben Muoka, had taken it to Sanni for repairs after its air conditioner developed a fault.
Sanni, who repairs air conditioners, reportedly gave the vehicle’s keys to Okeke for safekeeping till the following day when he (Sanni) would conclude work on the car.
However, the lottery agent, who had no driving experience and was under the influence of alchohol, drove the vehicle.
He was alleged to have crashed the Jeep into the wall of the hospital.
The owner of the vehicle reported the case at the Railway Police Command and the two friends were arrested.
They were arraigned before an Ebute Meta Magistrate’s Court on six counts of wilful damage, negligence and breach of the public peace.
The charges read in part,
“That you, Ogechi Okeke, on December 14, 2017, about 5am, along Costain-Oyingbo Road, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, wilfully and unlawfully drove and damaged a Range Rover Jeep, with number plate, KJ A143 CK, valued at N2.5m, property of one Mr. Rueben Muoka, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 339 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2015.
“That you, Rasak Sanni, on the same date, time and place, in the aforesaid magisterial district, being an automobile air conditioner repairer in custody of a Range Rover Jeep, valued at N2.5m, property of one Rueben Muoka, handed over to you for repairs, did unlawfully and negligently handed over the said vehicle and its keys to one Ogechi Okeke, who drove same and caused serious damage to the said vehicle, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 252 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the counts and elected summary trial.
Emeh Achanga,the CEO of the Miss Petite Nigeria Brand is a lawyer turned blogger. She is very passionate about writing, with several publications and awards to her credit .She is currently working on publishing a collection of short stories which are basically a memoir about her exciting true experiences.
