SUSPECT REJECTS CHARGES, FAULTS ARRAIGNMENT There was a mild drama at the Ebute Meta Magistrate’s Court when one of nine suspects, on trial for trespassing on a railway line, faulted police claim on where he was arrested. The suspect, Wisdom Elijah, 25, surprised the Investigating Police Officer, Corporal Abu Oyono, telling him that he erred in arraigning him in court. Elijah accused the police of leaving the criminals and going after innocent citizens in order to show that they were working. After Oyono had presented the charges against Elijah, he said, “Mr. Man, how can you explain a situation where you people leave Ikeja where a crime was committed because you could not get the offenders, and travel as far as Mushin to round up innocent people for an offence they knew nothing about? “I was arrested in Mushin and they (the police) even broke my ID card.” The magistrate, Mr. E.O Ogunkanmi, who became curious, asked Oyono where the suspect was arrested. The corporal said it was the complainant, Inspector Adekalu Adeyemi, who said Elijah was arrested at Ikeja. He said, “My colleague, Inspector Adekalu Adeyemi, told me all the suspects were arrested at Ikeja.” A large number of the defendants at this point found their voice and faulted the claim of the policeman. They pleaded with the court to be given lawyers to defend them. Other defendants were Godfrey Okeke, Segun Oluwaseun, Bolaji Akinola, Olatunbosun Adedapo, Hamza Abdullahi, Sani Abdullahi, Basir mohammed and Musa Habib. They were arraigned on four counts of felony and trespassing. They were said to have ridden on a train line and threw stones and bottles at police officers and other train passengers at Ikeja on April 10. They pleaded not guilty to the charges and were granted bail in the sum of N50,000 each with two sureties each in like sum. The suspects were returned to prison custody because they could not meet the bail condition. The matter was adjourned till August 7.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 13:11:31 +0000
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