By Desire Emmanuel
A man who spent seven months behind bars after a woman accused him of stealing a T-shirt has now regained his freedom as a court hearing the matter struck it out and discharged him.
The man, whose name was given simply as Monday, from Akwa Ibom State, worked as a loader at Berger Park in Lagos State where he helped people send goods to other states by connecting them with trusted drivers and ensuring the items reached their destinations.
Trouble however began for him when, on April 1, 2025, a woman approached him to help transport her items to a bus park in Akwa Ibom State where they will be picked up by her sister.
Monday was said to have handed the package to a driver and gave her the contact details so she could track the delivery and follow up. The goods were expected to arrive the next day, but the woman later returned to Berger, saying the goods did not get to its destination.
Monday tried reaching the driver, but his calls didn’t go through. He advised the woman to check the central park in Uyo, where the items were meant to be taken to.
But when her sister went to confirm and didn’t find the driver, the woman accused Monday of wearing one of her T-shirts in the load and invited the police.
Monday was arrested and detained at the police station, where he spent four days before he was arraigned on April 8 at the Ogba Magistrates’ Court on a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing.
Monday was said to have pleaded not guilty and the court granted him bail of ₦100,000 with two sureties, but because he could not meet the bail conditions, he was remanded in prison custody.
His plight got to the attention of an advocacy group, Headfort Foundation for Justice, which usually visits prisons and courts. After hearing from him during one of its visits to the prison, a lawyer from the foundation decided to take up his case and started representing him in court.
The foundation wrote: “At this point, Monday had pleaded guilty to the charges out of frustration because he had no one to stand as surety and was tired of being in custody. On our lawyer’s advice, Monday changed his plea to not guilty and the matter was adjourned for trial.”
It was gathered that during the trial, the complainant came to court twice but later stopped attending hearings and refused to come for cross-examination. Over time, two new prosecutors took over the case, each asking for more time, yet the complainant never came to court.
However, on October 31, justice finally prevailed, as the prosecutor told the court that the complainant was no longer interested in continuing with the case.
The lawyer representing Monday therefore prayed the court to strike out the case, and this time, the application was granted as the court discharged him after spending seven months in prison custody for allegedly stealing a T-shirt.
