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Tag: Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP)

  • Man charged with raping neighbour’s 11-year-old daughter

    The Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) in Lagos State has recommended the trial of a 70-year-old man, Sylvester Ike, for the alleged rape of his neighbour’s 11-year-old daughter.

    The DPP issued the advice last Thursday at an Ajegunle Magistrates’ Court in Lagos, following which the Magistrate, Mrs. O.M. Ajayi, adjourned till September 20

    The report noted, among others, that the girl’s complaint to the police raised several questions that required answers from the defendant.

    Read Also:Former Bayelsa governor’s aide docked over alleged rape

    The girl complained that the defendant summoned her to his room on the pretext of sending her on an errand. When she came to him, he locked his door and sexually assaulted her.

    She said: “After he finished, he asked me not to tell anyone. When I got to the house, I sat on the sofa and was crying. When my mother came, she asked me what was wrong. I couldn’t tell her because of the threat.

    “My mother pulled me up and saw that my skirt was soaked in blood. She took me inside the room and asked me who did this to me, and then I told her that it was Mr. Ike that did it.”

    Ike, of No. 3, Remi Street, Ojo, Lagos, was brought before the court last June by the police on a temporary one-count charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.

    Prosecuting Inspector Augustine Ejembi alleged that the defendant committed the offence at about 9pm on March 10, in his apartment.

    The court heard that Ike had unlawful sexual intercourse with the girl.

    According to the prosecutor, the offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

    Ike pleaded not guilty.

  • Security guard jailed 10 years for child defilement

    Security guard jailed 10 years for child defilement

    An Igbosere high court has sentenced a 27 year old security guard, Daniel Peter to ten years imprisonment for child defilement.

    Delivering judgment in the matter, Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye found Peter guilty of a one count charge of defilement contrary to section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011 preferred against him by the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP).

    The convict who resides at Pleasure Area, Along Abeokuta Road Lagos, was accused of sexual defilement of a five year old girl.

    A statement issued Wednesday by Assistant Director, Public Affairs, Kayode Oyekanmi said the DPP had arraigned the convict before the court on July 21, 2016.

    During trial, the first prosecution witness, Inspector Enobang Ekareine, serving at the Juvenile Welfare Section, Oke-Odo Police Station, while giving account of investigation of the incident, had told the court that the offence was committed by the defendant when he gained unlawful access to the home of the victim in the absence of her aunt.

    He said the convict took advantage of the situation in carrying out the crime.

    The defendant had initially pleaded not guilty to the charge brought against him, but later confessed to the crime in the face of overwhelming evidence presented by the prosecution, which included documented statement of a Medical Doctor who also was a state witness.

    The final written addresses of the prosecution and defence were adopted on the November 13, 2017 before judgement was pronounced on Tuesday.

    Governor Akinwunmi Ambode had during the commissioning of the Special Courts for sexual Offences and Corruption in the State promised to make Lagos State uncomfortable for sexual offenders by bringing perpetrators to justice without delay.

    Read Also: Man docked over defilement of five-year-old girl

  • Acid attack: Court extends couple’s detention in prison

    Acid attack: Court extends couple’s detention in prison

    …DPP’s report’ clears suspect’s wife

     

     

    An Igbosere Magistrates’ Court in Lagos Thursday extended the remand order against a man, Chidi Ubochiajonjo and his wife Nkiru, charged with pouring acid on a woman, Ogochukwu Nwosu.

    Magistrate J. O. Adepoju remanded the defendants for another 30 days pending the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP)’s advice on the case on July 14.

    Chidi, 39, and Nkiru, 40, were arraigned last March 15, on four counts of conspiracy, attempted murder, threat to kill and causing grievous bodily harm.

    According to the charge marked O/18/2017, the defendants, last October 6 at Ilasamaja Bus Stop, Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Lagos attempted to murder Nwosu, 26, “by bathing her with susbstances suspected to be acid” thereby causing her grievous bodily harm.

    Nkiru was also accused of threatening to kill Nwosu by way of Short Message Service (SMS) on October 7, 2016.

    According to prosecuting counsel Ochogwu Ogbeh, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), the alleged offences contravene Sections 230, 232, 245 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

    They were remanded in prison custody pending the DPP’s advice.

    At the resumption of proceedings yesterday, Magistrate Adepoju stated that the report on the case forwarded to her office from the DPP contained a different case number from what is on the charge.

    She directed the prosecutor to ask the DPP for another report bearing the correct charge number.

    According to the DPP’S report of May 30, 2017 signed by Mr Y. G. Oshoala, seen by The Nation, there is no basis for prosecuting Nkiru.

    “The Office shall not be prosecuting Nkiru Ubochiajonjo as there is no sufficient evidence in the duplicate case file tying her to the crime,” the report stated.

    It, however, noted that “there are sufficient facts to establish a prima facie case” to prosecute Chidi.

    Defence counsel C. C. Echemazu moved an application for the defendants to be released on bail.

    He stated, among others, that the defendants had been in detention since their arraignment and for a cumulative period of almost six months since their arrest.

    This was opposed by Ogbeh, who argued, among others, that “the victim of the offence is still critically ill, battling for her life in hospital.”

    He said after the attack, Nwosu, who worked at Computer Village in Ikeja, sustained burns on her face, neck, breasts, among other parts of her body.

    Magistrate Adepoju adjourned till July 14 for ruling on the application and DPP’s advice.

     

  • ‎Synagogue: Collapsed building not caused by aircraft- witness

    ‎Synagogue: Collapsed building not caused by aircraft- witness

    A Lagos High Court sitting in ikeja heard yesterday that there was no truth in the report that the collapsed guest house of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) was caused by radiation from a plane that flew over it.

    A former Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development‎ in Lagos state, Mr Olutoyin Ayinde, made this assertion yesterday during the continuation of his evidence in the matter.

    Ayinde told the court presided by Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo that contrary to  claims of the church, evidences at his diaposal suggested otherwise.

    The ‎ former Commissioner who was being led in evidence by the Director, Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP),Mrs. Idowu Alakija stated that he visited the site of the collapsed building with former Governor Babatunde Fashola alongside two General Managers of the agencies under his ministry.

    He said that during their visit to the site of the building collapse, the General Overseer of the church gave them a CCTV  recording of an aircraft hovering over the building shortly before it’s collapse.

    He added: “My office wrote to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority  (NCAA) seeking advice on the CCTV recording we received.

    “ We got the flight corridor and coordinates as well as a report from the NCAA which showed that the distance between the aircraft and the top of the building is between  137 and 288 meters.

    “We found that the aircraft were not flying directly over the building, Ayinde said.”

    The former Commissioner explained that the least distance from the top of the building to the nearest aircraft was 137 meters which he said is the equivalent of four  buildings, like NITEL building,  placed on top of each other.

    He also explained that evidence was collected from the site during his visit with Fashola.

    “We took pictures of the site as well as did a video recording of the visit of the delegation to the site, he said.”

    At this stage, the DPP, Mrs. Alakija, sought to tender the documents mentioned by Ayinde as evidence to the court.

    “My Lord, we seek to tender the application for building approval for the Synagogue Church auditorium, letter from the NCAA, flight path coordinates, the survey of the collapsed building as well as pictures as evidence, the prosecutor said.”

    The defence led by Mr Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) who is also representing the trustees of the church objected to the tendering of the documents.

    Fagbemi said they oppose the admission of the documents because they were just being served as additional proof of evidence by the prosecution.

    ”We need to have previous knowledge of what is in those documents to enable us confer with our clients”, he said.

    Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo, told the  counsel to come up with dates for adjournment to enable them examine the documents.

    The lawyers, however, could not agree on a date for adjournment and the judge had to impose a date on them.

    After waiting for some time, the trial judge ruled on the counsels and fix fresh dated for hearing.

    “I waited patiently for counsel to come up with a date but they couldn’t, I have no choice but to impose these dates on counsel.

    “This case is adjourned to June 27, 28 and 29 for continuation of trial, Akapo said.”

    ‎The trustees of the church, two engineers,Messrs Oladele Ogundeji and Akinbela Fatiregun and their companies, Hardrock Construction and Engineering Company and Jandy Trust Limited are facing trial for the September 12, 2014 collapsed guest house.

    The state government has filed 111 charges bordering on criminal negligence, manslaughter and failure to obtain building permit were brought against the defendants.

  • Ibadan husband killer’s case suffers another setback

    Ibadan husband killer’s case suffers another setback

    The case of an Ibadan-based lawyer, Yewande Oyediran, who allegedly stabbed her husband, Lowo Oyediran, to death in the Akobo area of Ibadan has been adjourned on Tuesday again by Justice Muktar Abimbola of an Oyo State High Court.
    The case was adjourned till April 18, 2016, for a decision on the application for private counsel to prosecute the suspect.
    It will be recalled that Lowo, who hails from Gbongan in Osun State and was based in France, was purportedly stabbed in the neck by his wife at about 6:10a.m on February 2, this year, and he died a few minutes later. His remains have been buried in Gbongan.
    At the proceedings on Tuesday, counsel to the complainant – Lowo’s family, Chief Yomi Aliu, told the court that the family had applied to the DPP for a fiat to employ the services of a private legal practitioner to prosecute Yewande.
    Justice Abimbola, who is the Chief Judge of the state, asked the counsel to the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP), Oyo State Ministry of Justice, Mr. Tajudeen Abdul-Ganiyu, to the tell the court the current status of the application for the fiat.
    Abdul-Ganiyu, who acknowledged the receipt of the application by the DPP, explained that applications have been made to the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, as well as the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, on the matter.
    He stated further that the process should have been completed before the next adjournment date on April 18.
    Abdul-Ganiyu also told the court that he was served with a notice of preliminary objection filed by the counsel to Yewande, Prince Bioye Ashanike, on the competence of the charge by DPP against the suspect.
    The court, however, directed the DPP counsel to file his written address and Prince Ashanike to file his response argument on the application within seven days.
    In a chat with The Nation after the court proceedings, Chief Aliu said Lowo’s family applied for fiat to hire private legal practitioner to prosecute Yewande because “it is not proper, not that it is not legal for the DPP to prosecute Yewande, who is a principal state counsel with the DPP.
    “I trust the DPP counsel as well as the Solicitor General/permanent secretary of the Ministry of Justice. But it is not about me. It is about the public,” he said.