At last, the Osun State Police Command on Friday arraigned in court six suspects arrested after the bloody clash that broke out between Ife indigenes and Hausa settlers.
The suspects were arraigned before an Osogbo High Court after several postponements.
During the arraignment before Justice Kudirat Akano, the suspects, including a traditional ruler in Ile-Ife, the Alapoje of Apoje, Oba Ademola Ademiluyi, and a pastor, Mr. Taiwo Fakowajo, were remanded in prison .
Others docked and remanded were Eluwole Akeem, Jimoh Sakiru, Daniel Olarenwaju and Bamidele Elurisanmi.
The accused persons were arraigned on a 14-count charge bearing on murder, armed robbery, arson, stealing, conspiracy, illegal possession of firearms, disturbance of public peace, assault, among others.
The prosecuting counsel, Mr. Simon Lough, told the court that the accused persons conspired to murder 46 people on March 6, 7 and 8, 2017 at the Sabo area in Ile-Ife, Osun State, adding that they conspired to inflict injuries on 96 people with the use of knives, cutlasses and broken bottles.
The accused persons were also accused of committing arson by setting shops and police vans ablaze. The shops belonged to 21 people, according to the prosecutor.
Lough alleged that the suspects robbed 27 people and stole properties worth millions of naira during the three-day mayhem.
But the accused persons entered into not guilty pleas on all the 14 charges brought against them.
Their counsel, Mr Muritala Agboola, applied for bail, praying the court to be liberal on the bail conditions.
Agboola told the court that the accused persons were ready to stand trial, maintaining that they were still presumed innocent until they were proved guilty by the court.
Justice Akano denied the accused persons bail, but asked the defence counsel to furnish the court with formal bail applications for all the accused persons.
She, however, ordered that the accused persons be remanded in prison custody and adjourned the case till June 14, 15 and 16, 2017 for hearing.
Our correspondent sighted the wives and relatives of the accused persons in court as the traditional ruler’s subjects were also in court to identify with their monarch.
