‘How a thief hypnotized me, stole cash, clothes’

A 38-year-old-man, Chijioke Onwunbiko, has been docked at an Ikeja Magistrate Court sitting at Ogba, Agege, Lagos for allegedly stealing N10,000 from one Chigozie Ali (15).
The incident allegedly occurred on August 18, 2015 at about 9.00hrs at Orile Agbado.

According to the prosecution, the suspect allegedly stole the money from his victim; a boy, who was going to sell some wares for his elder brother in a nearby market, an offence punishable under Section 285 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos, Nigeria, 2011.
Asked whether they would like to settle the matter amicably, the suspect said he was prepared to return the boy’s N10,000 to him, an offer which the complainant accepted before the court.
The suspect was granted bail in the sum of N5,000 with one surety in like sum.
It was gathered that the suspect approached the little boy in Sango area of Ogun State, and asked him for road direction and that, as he opened his mouth to tell him that he didn’t know the place, his (the boy’s) memory went blank and the next place he found himself was Kola in Alagbado area of Lagos. An acquaintance, who was surprised to see him in the area, was said to have asked him where he was going “It was there and then that my eyes cleared”, recalled the boy.
The complainant further explained that the accused dispossessed him of everything he had on him, including the clothes he was going to the market to sell as well as N10,000 cash. He added that the suspect ran out of luck two months later, when he saw him at Alaako area of Lagos and was able to identify him as the person who dispossessed him of his wares and N10,000 cash after asking for road direction two months earlier. He added that when he told his elder brother that he had seen the man who robbed him on August 18, the latter took him to the police station where he lodged a complaint which led to the arrest of the suspect.