A 26-year-old driver identified as Samuel Meyiwa has been charged with embezzling company money for sports betting. The charges were brought before the Yaba Magistrate’s Court in Lagos this Thursday. The Lagos State Police arraigned Meyiwa, who was employed as a driver for a company in Bariga, accusing him of using company funds for sports betting activities. According to the prosecutor, Meyiwa had been employed in March and was entrusted with the responsibility of selling sachet water with a company truck. Shockingly, he allegedly diverted a portion of the proceeds from his daily sales to fuel his gambling habit, unbeknownst to his employer. The complainant revealed that Meyiwa’s suspicious activities came to light in October when he failed to return N88,000 from the sale of sachet water, claiming that customers owed him. This deceptive behaviour persisted, and in November, Meyiwa reportedly drove off with sachet water worth N300,000. Instead of fulfilling his responsibilities, he allegedly used the funds for sports betting and, after losing, absconded. Efforts to locate Meyiwa proved futile until he was spotted working in another company, leading to his subsequent arrest by the police. The prosecutor, Oriabure, detailed the charges against Meyiwa, stating that the alleged offense occurred between March and November 2023 at Okusanya Street, off Adebayo Road, Bariga, in violation of Section 287 (7) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2015. The charge read; “That you Samuel Meyiwa, sometime March to November 2023 at Bariga in the Yaba Magisterial District did steal the sum of three hundred thousand naira cash from Freedom Pure Water Company situated at No 10 NG Okusanya street off Adebayo Road, Bariga, where you were employed as a driver and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 287 (7) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2015.” During the court proceedings, Meyiwa pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge. In response, the magistrate granted him bail in the sum of N100,000 with two responsible sureties required to provide the same amount. The case was subsequently adjourned till January 25, 2024, for trial.
