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Tag: murder charge

  • NSCDC personnel charged with murder

    A Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps personnel, Kehinde Osho, who allegedly shot and killed a man, on Friday appeared before an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

    Osho, whose address was not provided, is facing a count charge of murder, but he pleaded not guilty.

    The Prosecutor, Insp. Oladele Adebayo, had told the court that the accused committed the offence on Nov. 18, 2018, at 9.00p.m., on Pipeline Way, Oke-Ado, Lagos.

    Adebayo said that the accused shot Mr Taofeek Andulqadir, 31, with a gun on the head in contravention of Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

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    Chief Magistrate O.O. Olatunji, however, granted the accused bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum, and ordered that the case file should be sent to the state Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.

    He adjourned the case until Feb. 7, for mention.

  • Murder charge: God has vindicated us, says ex-Ekiti RTEAN chief

    Acquitted former Chairman of Ekiti State Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Rotimi Olanbiwonnu, has relived his ordeal in prison custody.

    Olanbiwonnu was on trial for complicity in the killing of a former Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Omolafe Aderiye.

    He said God and the court vindicated him and six others tried for the alleged crime.

    The others are: Adebayo Aderiye, Adeniyi Adedipe, Sola Durodola, Ajayi Kayode, Oso Farotimi and Sola Adenijo, all members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    They were discharged and acquitted by an Ekiti State High Court

    Justice Lekan Ogunmoye held that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

    Aderiye was murdered on September 25, 2014, at his private motor park, Lafe Ade Transport Services, in Ijigbo area of Ado-Ekiti.

    The killing triggered an orgy of violence in some parts of the city.

    Speaking in a programme on Progress 100.5 FM: Isejoba Rere (Good Governance), Olanbiwonnu said his home and vehicles were burnt, and his wife’s shop looted.

    The RTEAN chief said he was arrested in his home on July 27, 2015, by security men, who came in 15 vehicles.

    According to him, the security men were led by Governor Ayodele Fayose’s chief security officer (CSO), who took him to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).

    Olanbiwonnu said the police went to the hotel he stayed in at Abuja to inspect the duplicate of his hotel receipts.

    He said they also examined the minutes and attendance record at RTEAN’s secretariat to confirm his alibi.

    “I was not in Ado-Ekiti when the Aderiye was killed; I was in Abuja attending the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of RTEAN.

    “I left Ado-Ekiti on September 22, 2014, and I learnt of the killing on September 26, 2014, on the pages of newspapers while returning from Abuja.

    “Our three-year ordeal in prison custody was unpalatable, but God has vindicated us while the court has ruled that we are innocent. Aderiye’s personal assistant, who was with him when he was killed, told the court that we were not the ones who killed him.

    “We had no power to fight the government but God fought for us. We suffered a lot in prison custody, but God was behind us because suffered for an offence we did not commit.”

    Olanbiwonnu thanked the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, other All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders, union members and families for standing by them during their incarceration.

  • Court orders remand of 21-yr-old over murder charge

    Court orders remand of 21-yr-old over murder charge

    An Osun Magistrates’ Court sitting in Ile-Ife yesterday ordered a 21-year-old man Sodiq Adewale to be remanded in prison for alleged murder.

    Adewale is standing trial on a one-count charge of murder.

    Magistrate Risikat Olayemi held that her court lacked jurisdiction to entertain capital offence related case.

    Olayemi, however, directed the Prosecuting Inspector Emmanuel Abdullahi, to send a copy of the case file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice.

    She adjourned the case till January 23 for receipt of  legal  advice.

    Earlier, the Prosecutor had told the court that the accused committed the offence on November  30  at about 10:10 am at New Buka, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.

    Abdullahi told the court that the accused unlawfully caused the death of one Omoboriowo Olufemi after hitting him with his fist.

    He said the offence contravened Sections 316 (1) and 319 (1) of the Criminal Code, Laws of Osun, 2002.

  • Court acquits nurse of murder charge

    After four years of trial, an Ikeja high court has discharged and acquitted a 55-year-old nurse, Nkese Iroakasi, of the offence of murder.

    Justice Raliat Adebiyi pronounced Iroakasi  not guilty of the murder of her ward, Eno Bassey, aged nine.

    The court held that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

    Iroakasi was facing a charge of murdering Bassey at her residence on 7, Adeniran Ogunsanya Street, Surulere, Lagos at 2.30pm on July 27, 2013.

    “The prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the deceased died as a result of the defendant’s action. She is hereby discharged and acquitted and shall be released forthwith from custody,” the judge held.

    During trial, the prosecution led by Mrs R.O Ahmed-Muili, had alleged  that Iroakasi set Bassey alight over an allegation that she (Bassey) stole a piece of meat.

    It was further alleged that Bassey, after being set ablaze ran outside their house into the streets with the flames on her body.

    The prosecution said the flames were doused by passersby whom she allegedly told that her boss set her alight because of theft.

    Five witnesses- a security guard, an architect who was a passerby, two police officers and a medical doctor testified during the trial.

    Iroakasi, in her defence on March 20, denied the claims of the prosecution.

    According to her, Bassey had set herself ablaze while playing with the kerosene stove in the kitchen.

    Adebiyi in her judgment, held that the evidence of the prosecution was not strong enough to secure a conviction.

  • Ekiti APC to PDP: murder charge against Awe hypocritical

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has said President Muhammadu Buhari did nothing wrong in hosting its Chairman, Olajide Awe.

    The party criticised the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for raising eyebrows over Awe’s appearance at Aso Rock.

    It said: “Nigerians know the difference between murder charge and contrived cases of alleged murder to hound political opponents.”

    In a statement yesterday by its Publicity Secretary Taiwo Olatunbosun, the APC said the PDP’s insistence that Awe should not be allowed entry to the seat of power “was hypocrisy taken too far”.

    The party recalled that shortly after President Buhari made a public declaration to probe unresolved murder cases, Governor Ayodele Fayose was jolted into official reaction, urging the President not to play politics with  investigation of murders.

    Explaining that Fayose and the PDP contrived the crisis that led to the death of a PDP member, Olatubosun said Awe could not be blamed for the death that happened when he was not in town.

    The APC spokesman said: “All Nigerians knew when Fayose unleashed his thugs on Ekiti people with the alleged support of security agencies aided by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, which believed that Fayose represented the suppressing machine needed to win Ekiti State.

    “Awe’s alleged murder charge was the making of Fayose to put him out of circulation. This politically-motivated case was investigated and the accused were discharged by a court, until Fayose assumed office and reopened the case for political reasons.

    “We are aware that PDP is planning a press conference to allege that Awe killed Madam Jeje and Ayo in Erinjiyan just to blackmail President Buhari.”

    Olatubosun expressed indignation at this dishonest arm-twisting in the face of many alleged unresolved criminal cases hanging on the governor’s neck.

    He said it was hypocritical for Fayose to be allowed to contest election while criticising Buhari for allowing innocent Awe into Aso Rock.

    “Fayose must be prepared to defend himself, instead of a devious scheme to blackmail the President,” he said.

  • 44 UniUyo students face murder charge

    Forty-four students have been charged with murder and arson, following the June 12 protest which rocked the University of Uyo (UniUyo), Akwa Ibom State.

    The students were brought to court by the police in eight Hilux Pick-Up vans amid tight security.

    The students appeared before Magistrate Lawrence Udonwa on a five-count charge of arson and murder.

    Magistrate Udonwa held that since the case involved murder and arson, the police should not have brought the suspects to his court.

    He held that the law upon which the police acted was obsolete and out-dated.

    The magistrate, however,  ordered that the case be transferred to the High Court in Uyo.

    The parents of most of the students were in the court. Most of them accused the police of not arresting the real perpetrators of the crime.

    One of the mothers of the suspects told The Nation that her son was arrested while packing his luggage to leave the hostel.

    The June 12 peaceful protest turned violent when police applied minimum force to end the riot.

    The police threw several tear-gas canisters and shot sporadically to disperse the rioters.

    A 200-level Zoology student, Kingsley Umoette, died.

    After Umoette’s death, property worth millions of naira were destroyed by the protesting students.

    Besides the school properties destroyed, individual properties were not spared.

    The students and the police have been trading words over what led to the death.

    A member of the Students’ Union Government, who pleaded not to be named, said a security agent shot the student.

    He said the killing angered the students who set ablaze the Vice Chancellor’s Office, Deputy Vice Chancellor’s Office (Academic) and Records Office.

    Twelve vehicles, some of them owned by the university, were destroyed.

    But the police said they could not explain what killed Umoette because his body was brought from the campus to the road where the police stood by the students during the protest.

    Police spokesman Etim Dickson said: “You know we cannot enter the campus; we have to be outside.

    “It was the protesting students who brought the body to us on the road and it was collected from them.

    “The mother of the deceased has come to us. She made a statement. The cause of the death we don’t know yet.

    “What killed the boy from inside the school we don’t know?

    “Also, about 45 other students coming from various institutions were arrested. Some of them came from Bida Polytechnic and we also have some from Madonna University.

    “They only dropped the body on the road because they said they wanted to carry the body to the Government House and we told them ‘no; it is not their duty and we collected the body from them.”