Emotions ran high on Tuesday at an Ebute-Meta Chief Magistrate’s Court after the court remanded seven members of the All Progressives Congress for alleged involvement in the killing of a leader of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Azeez Ottun, aka Ashake...
Aside 47-year-old Ashake, the police said one Rilwan Saka (19) and Obabiolorunkosi Nureni, were also shot dead during a fracas involving members of the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party.
Family members of the defendants broke down in tears after the Chief Magistrate, Mrs. A.F.O. Botoku, ruled that they be kept in police custody pending the conclusion of investigations.
The police from the State Department of Criminal Investigation, Yaba, had arraigned the seven men ─ Ahmadu Kazeem (43), Ibrahim Afolabi (37), Lawal Lateef (27), Anthony Qudus (33), Adeshina Ibrahim (28), Adebayo Ogunjimi (25) and Animashan Olubodun (33) ─ on four counts of murder.
The police legal team, led by Cyril Ejiofor and Daniel Ighodalo, said the suspects and others at large, on Enu-owa Street, Adeniji Adele, Lagos Island, area of the Lagos State, killed the three victims on September 20, 2014.
A remand warrant attached to the four counts indicated that the suspects were found with weapons.
The prosecution team, while citing Section 264 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State, 2011, urged the court to remand the defendants in prison pending the conclusion of investigations and the release of legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.
However, the defence team, comprising Spurgeon Ataene, F.S. Oladele, Beauty Otigih, Imelda Adebambo and Ms. A.C. Abazo, opposed the remand application.
Ataene urged the court to conduct a preliminary investigation and ascertain the credibility of the remand request of the police.
He said, “The police have brought before this court the offence of murder, which is a serious offence before the law. We urge the court to use its power, as conferred under Section 264 (9) of the ACJLL, 2011, to conduct a preliminary enquiry to ascertain if there is a probable cause for remand.
“This is a matter that has been widely reported in the dailies and five people have already confessed to this crime. None of the people before your honour is among them. The police said they were arrested with exhibits, but I ask, what are these exhibits?”
But Ejiofor, in his retort, said the defence had already deviated from the remand proceeding.
The chief magistrate ruled that the defendants be remanded and subsequently adjourned till January 11, 2016.