An Ikeja Magistrates' Court in Lagos on Wednesday remanded three men in a correctional facility for allegedly stealing expensive phones while armed with weapons.

The accused persons - Ibrahim Waheed (24), Quadri Olowoshile (28), and Ganiyu Ogunsanya (27) - who reside in Lagos Island, are facing charges of conspiracy, armed robbery, stealing, and belonging to secret societies.

Magistrate L.A Owolabi did not take the plea of the trio for want of jurisdiction. He directed the police to return the case file to the office of the Director for Public Prosecution for legal advice and adjourned the case until June 10, 2025, for mention.

According to Prosecutor SP Josephine Ikhayere, the accused committed the offences on March 30 at 4:30 pm along Glover and Tapper Street, Lagos Island. The prosecutor told the court that the trio robbed one Akanbi Rasheed of a Samsung A40 phone valued at N98,000 and a Vivo Y6 phone valued at N70,000. They also allegedly robbed one Risikat Hassan of her Redmi A3 phone valued at N150,000.

The prosecutor further revealed that the second and third defendants belonged to a secret society called Eiye confraternity, while the first defendant and others still at large belonged to another secret society called Aiye confraternity, both of which are proscribed as unlawful societies under Nigerian law.

The offences contravene sections 297(1)(2) and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2012, and are also punishable under Section 2(3)(a)(b)(c) of the Unlawful Societies and Cultism in Lagos State Law, 2021.