A Tinubu Magistrate’s Court sitting on Lagos Island has ordered the remand of a 62-year-old man, Shafideen Bakare, and 13 other suspects in prison for allegedly invading an agro-allied firm in Ogombo town, in the Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The police identified Bakare’s accomplices as Tajudeen Bakare, Kolawole Amide, Lawal Olatunji, Kabiru Salami, Biodun Sanni, Saheed Quadri and Adeniyi Lamini.
Others are Femi Adeturinmo, Olaitan Adebayo, Abideen Olatunji, Olawole Goodluck, Azeez Jamiu and Saheed Azeez.
They were arraigned on three counts of trespass and engaging in conduct likely to cause breach of the peace before the court.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the suspects on November stormed the firm, wielding cutlasses and knives. They allegedly wanted to claim the ownership of the land.
It was gathered that the firm alerted the police to the invasion and they were apprehended.
A police prosecutor, Inspector Philip Osijale, who brought them before the court on Tuesday, said the offences contravened sections 56 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, as well as no C47 (7) of the Lagos State Property Protection Law, 2016.
The charges read in part, “That you, Shafideen Bakare, Tajudeen Bakare, Kolawole Amide, Lawal Olatunji, Kabiru Salami, Biodun Sanni, Saheed Quadri, Adeniyi Lamini, Femi Adeturinmo, Olaitan Adebayo, Abideen Olatunji, Olawole Goodluck, Azeez Jamiu and Saheed Azeez, on November 14, 2016, at about 2pm, in Ogombo town, in the Eti-Osa LGA of Lagos State, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did commit felony to wit; forcible entry.
“That you, on the same date, time and place, in the aforementioned magisterial district, did arm yourselves with cutlasses and other weapons, and cause fear and terror to members of Kasmal International Service Limited.”
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges and elected summary trial.
Their counsel, Mr. Ebun- Olu Adegboruwa, prayed the court to grant them bail in liberal terms, noting that they were still presumed innocent under Section 36(5) of the Nigeria Constitution, 1999.
Osijale, who admitted that the offences were bailable, objected to the counsel’s plea on the grounds that the defendants’ conduct constituted a threat to the community.
The presiding magistrate, Mrs. M.B. Folami, held that the defendants be remanded till December 29, 2016 – the next adjourned date.
“The court, hereby, grants the application of the prosecution and as such, bail for all the 14 defendants are hereby denied pending the next adjourned date when the court will allow same application to be made by the defence counsel,” Folami said.
No comments:
Post a Comment