A Sokoto Chief Magistrates’ Court, on Monday, granted four traders bail in the sum of N400,000 for alleged theft and receipt of stolen property.
The accused are; Bashar Malami, 28; Hassan Umar, 27; Mubarak Hassan, 26 and Saifullahi Mohammed, 26.
The suspects, who reside in Sokoto metropolis, are facing three charges of criminal conspiracy, theft and receiving stolen property.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Chief Magistrate, Abubakar Adamu, who granted each of the accused bail in the sum of N100,000, ordered them to produce a surety each in like sum.
Adamu ruled that the sureties must reside within the court’s jurisdiction as part of the bail conditions.
The magistrate adjourned the case until August 15 for hearing.
Earlier, the Police Prosecutor, Inspector Khalid Musa, had told the court that the offences were committed in July 2017 in Sokoto.
Musa alleged that the accused persons unlawfully entered into the uncompleted building belonging to one Bello Shehu of Minanata area of Sokoto.
He told the court that the accused allegedly stole from the premises, a tipper load of sand and 180 pieces of nine inches block all valued N51,600.
The prosecutor said the accused sold the materials to one Hassan Umar at the rate of N10,500 in which N2,500 was recovered from him during investigation.
He said the offences contravened Sections 97, 317 and 287 of the Penal Code.
