The Ekiti state-born woman was remanded in custody on January 27, 2023, by Ojo Area Magistrate Court after she failed to satisfy the bail conditions imposed by the court.
A 22-year-old woman, Adejumoke Christina has been languishing in Kirikiri Nigeria Correctional Centre, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria for over six months over alleged theft of N300,000 from a Point of Sale (POS) business.
The Ekiti state-born woman was remanded in custody on January 27, 2023, by Ojo Area Magistrate Court after she failed to satisfy the bail conditions imposed by the court.
SaharaReporters learnt that she was first arrested on December 24, 2022, by the police from Oju Olomo Oto Police Station, Ikole-Ekiti and transferred to Ojo Police Station in Ojo, Lagos State following a complaint made by her boss, Mrs Omosehin Bukola Victoria to the police.
She was said to have fled to her state, Ekiti on the said date of arrest after her boss, who is said to be a soldier, allegedly locked her up in her Lagos residence for days without food.
Christina was accused of stealing N300,000 from the POS business she was running for her boss.
Narrating the situation, a family member, Michelle Ayeni, told SaharaReporters that Christina and her brother had gone to Lagos to work for Omosehin. "They had worked for six months and were not paid for even a month but because they were also managing a POS in addition to a provisions store, they were taking money for their feeding while the Madam was away. So, when the situation got tense, they left the place and went back home since they had not been paid."
She added, "Immediately they got home, some police officers from Oju Olomo Oto Police Station, Ikole in Ekiti State arrived at their home to arrest Adejumoke Christina on December 24, 2023, and transferred her to Ojo Police Station in Ojo, Lagos State.
"The Madam had gone to the police to complain that Christina Adejumoke stole N1,040,000, an allegation she denied. Because of poverty and the naira crisis that Nigeria had at the time, the police detained her for over a month.
“When her mother could not meet the police terms of settlement to return the N300,000 allegedly missing which was believed to be the money they took for feeding for six months, they worked without payment. In addition to the money spent on the police to mobilise them and facilitate her arrest in Ekiti and transfer her back to Lagos, everything was aggregated to N1,040,000 which she was arraigned in court and remanded in prison for.
"So, she was charged on January 27 at Ojo Magistrate Court and her parents were unable to reach the court on time, but she was told by a government solicitor and one Inspector Benjamin Yakubu who was in charge of the case to pay the some of N700,000."
She added, "Christina Adejumoke was able to send N100,000 to the account sent to her. And later she appeared in court on March 2, 2023, where she paid N50,000 cash and subsequently N100,000 paid cash on May 2, 2023.
"Altogether N250,000 has been paid. However, the soldier has insisted that unless they paid a reasonable amount of N400,000 out of N700,000, she will ensure that Christina is not released," she narrated.
Meanwhile, when the case came up on June 27, 2023, the presiding magistrate, read her bail conditions.
Speaking to SaharaReporters, Adejumoke's counsel, F. Adebayo Esq. said that she had been granted bail, which he described as very stringent.
"When I informed the court that the bail condition hadn't been fulfilled, the magistrate was amazed. The Magistrate had to read out the bail in open court. The condition is that the defendant is admitted to bail in the sum of N500,000 and two responsible sureties in the like sum," he said.
The court thereafter adjourned the matter to July 13, 2023, for further proceedings on the matter.