An Ondo State Chief Magistrate Court, sitting in Akure, has ordered the remand of two of out three suspects who allegedly killed a naval officer, Samson Akingbagbohun.
The defendants, Ayomide Sambo Ayomide and Johnson Adeleke, both 20, were arrested alongside Francis Shagari, 17, for allegedly killing the officer in Ido Ani in the Ose Local Government Area of the state, following an argument.
They were thereafter arraigned before the court on two count-charge bothering of conspiracy and murder.
According to the prosecution, the offences contravened Sections 319, 316, 342, the Criminal Code, Cap. 37, Vol. 1, Laws of the Ondo State Nigeria 2006.
However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges but their pleas were not taken by the court.
The Prosecutor, Inspector Nelson Akintimehin, informed the court that the defendants and others at large, committed the offences on June 26, 2023, at about 7:40 pm at Idoani in the Ondo State Magisterial District.
He urged the court to remand the defendants in Olokuta Correctional Centre to enable him forward their case file to the Director of Public Prosecution but the defendants’ counsel, Tolulope Adebiyi, prayed the court to grant her clients’ bail.
Adebiyi noted that the third defendant, Shagari, 17, is under age, and should not be tried in adult court, while she also told the court that the second defendant, Sambo, is a sickle cell patient.
In his ruling, the Chief Magistrate, Musa Al-Yunus, said there were probable causes to remand the two suspects. The court, however, admitted the third defendant, Francis Shagari, to bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.
The court adjourned the case till August 1, 2023, for mention.
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
