BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
Fear has been mounting among residents of Osun State over cases of daylight robberies by some suspected criminals who connive with commercial motorcycle operators to attack unsuspecting members of the public.
Some victims of the ugly development in Osogbo, capital of the state, have revealed how some motorcycle operators, popularly known as okada riders, tactically rode them to places where the syndicate was gathered and dispossessed them of their money and other belongings.
They explained that the okada riders would pretend and take different routes to where gangsters were and robbed them.
Meanwhile, one of the syndicate was arrested recently by men of the Osun State Police Command after the gang allegedly abducted and robbed a resident of the state.
The 25-year-old suspect, Moruf Moshood, was accused of conspiring with others now at large to kidnap a computer operator in Osogbo and transfered some amount of money from his bank account at their den.
The police dragged Moshood to an Osogbo Magistrate’s Court and accused him of committing robbery and deprivation of liberty.
Police prosecutor, Inspector Rasaq Olayiwola, told the court that Moshood committed the offence on July 14, 2023 at about 7:00 pm at Oja-Oba area of Osogbo.
“That you Moruf Moshood and others now at large, did deprive one Ojeeade Ademola of his liberty when you took him from Oja-Oba unlawfully, confined and detained him without his consent and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 365 of Criminal code Cap 34 Vol. II Laws of Osun State of Nigeria 2002.
“You did steal the sum of N40,000 from Palmpay account number 8140812614 and transferred it to Opay Account number 8062224194, property of one Ojeeade Ademola and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 390 (9) of Criminal code Cap 34 Vol. II Laws of Osun State of Nigeria 2002.
“That you did conduct yourselves in a manner likely to cause a breach of peace when you cause pandemonium at Oja-Oba market square with cutlass and other weapon to deprive one Ojeeade Ademola to another place against his will and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 249 of Criminal code Cap 34 Vol. II Laws of Osun State of Nigeria 2002,” the charge read.
Olayiwola said the defendant was arrested after the police trailed the transfer to a Point of Sales operator while efforts to arrest other fleeing suspects were ongoing.
After Moshood’s not-guilty plea, efforts made by his counsel, Kehinde Adepoju to move the court to granting him bail were unfruitful as the prosecution opposed the bail application.
The prosecutor urged the court not to grant the defendant bail because of worsening cases of kidnapping in the state.
However, Magistrate A. K. Ajala ordered that Moshood be remanded in Ilesa Correctional Centre till July 31 when the bail application would be considered.
