The Nollywood actress Lizzy Anjorin-Lawal was accused of stealing gold from the Oba Akintoye Market in the state’s Lagos Island area. However, the Lagos State Police Command confirmed on Friday that no case of theft had been established against her.
When asked for an update on the case, Benjamin Hundeyin, the public relations officer for the state police, confirmed the development.
He asserted that the investigation conducted by the command had demonstrated the factual errors in the video that showed people, including traders, accusing Anjorin-Lawal of stealing.
Hundeyin said, “There was no case of stealing to start with; our investigation revealed that the seller of the goods gave the wrong account number. Out of the 10 digits the person was to provide, one digit was given wrongly and our investigation revealed that Lizzy Anjorin-Lawal did the transfer to the wrong account number.
“But when it turned out that it was a mistake of facts and that they called her a thief in error, Lizzy (Anjorin-Lawal) took the assault meted out against her up and after the suspects were arrested and the case had gone to court, for reasons best known to her, she said she was no longer interested in the case and the case was withdrawn.”
Further, according to Hundeyin, the individuals who had accused Anjorin-Lawal of stealing had acknowledged in writing at the police station that they had made the error since the seller had provided her with the incorrect account information.
“Lizzy Anjorin-Lawal transferred what she was supposed to transfer, which was about N90,000, into the wrong account that she was given and there was a receipt; when it was becoming too hot, she again transferred money to the correct account number they gave her.
“So, she did a double transfer just to avoid trouble, even though the mistake was not hers. So, I am confirming that the police investigation revealed that there was no stealing. Lizzy Anjorin-Lawal was not culpable of stealing as she did not engage in stealing according to our investigation,” the PPRO added.
According to PUNCH Online, in a video clip that went viral on the internet, Anjorin was allegedly attacked by some traders and accused of stealing gold while she was at the market.
As per Punch, in February 2024, six traders were detained in relation to the attack, and they were charged before the Chief Magistrate Court of Lagos Island Local Government for allegedly abducting and coercing Anjorin-Lawal while she was at the market buying gold.
Two other suspects remained at large, while the defendants—Qudus Jokogbola, Suru Olawale, Edu Shakirat, Fausat Mohammed, Kafayat Ahmed, and Opere Simiat Morenike—were charged.
The prosecution, headed by Sola Samuel, claimed that the six defendants and the other two planned to push and drag Anjorin-Lawal inside Oba Akintoye Market in Lagos Island, causing her serious bodily harm.
Samuel told the court that the defendants’ actions caused a breach of public peace.
He said the offences contravened Sections 411 and 413; 168(d) and 170(b) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2015, and are punishable under the same Act.
All defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Defence lawyer, Ade Oshodi, urged the court to grant them bail in the most liberal terms, stating they were traders.
In his ruling, Magistrate A.A. Paul granted each defendant bail in the sum of N200,000 with one surety each.
The sureties must be Lagos residents with evidence of tax payment.
The defendants were remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services until they met their bail terms.
