NURTW member Arrested for Robbing Cab Driver In Abuja

A 37-year-old man, Samuel Uromi was on Tuesday arraigned in a Gudu Upper Area Court, Abuja, on a three-count charge of mischief, extortion and stealing. Urom, a member of the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), however, pleaded not guilty to the three- count-charge levelled against him.

The prosecutor, Mr Urom Out, said that the accused committed the offences on Dec. 11 at Area 1 Roundabout, Abuja.

He told the court that the complainant, one Jonah Agocha, reported the case against the accused at the Garki Police Station. The prosecutor said that Urom extorted money from Agocha, a commercial cab driver and robbed him of his belongings.

“The accused claims to be a member of the NURTW. He forcefully collected the car keys of the complainant and ran away with it to an unknown destination. “The accused later returned to steal the car and N7, 200 inside it as well as damage the passenger side of the car while trying to escape,’’ Out said. The prosecutor added that the accused was arrested by a police patrol team, saying “investigations revealed that Urom is a habitual criminal.
“He has been known to use his relationship with the NURTW to extort money from the public.’’ He noted that the accused contravened Sections 287,327 and 292 of the Penal Code Law. The Judge, Alhaji Umar Kagarko, however, granted him bail in the sum of N200,000, with a reliable surety, who must either be a civil servant or a public servant on Grade Level 14. “The particulars of the surety must be verified by the prosecutor,’’ Kagarko also ordered. The case was adjourned till Feb. 9, 2016, for hearing.