Friday, March 29, 2024

Police arraign 16 hoodlums for attacking Osun Deputy Gov’s convoy

BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO

The Police in Osun State have arraigned 16 suspected political thugs for allegedly attacking the convoy of the Deputy Governor of the state, Benedict Alabi, and damaging some vehicles in the entourage with stones.

The suspects that were docked at a Magistrate’s Court sitting in Osogbo are Ayobami Hammed, 25; Kareem Jamiu, 27; Yusuf Babatunde, 20; Ismail Taiwo, 20; Emmanuel Monday, 28; Bankole Sunday, 24; Raji Wasiu, 25; Babatunde Nurudeen, 31; and Adediran Morenikeji, 25.

Others are Olateju Olayemi, 24; Lawal Victor, 20; Aderemi Segun, 25; Idris Olajide, 20; Akindoyin Ifeoluwa, 22; Olanrewaju Femi, 22; and Nurudeen Sulaiman, 35.

The Point gathered that the suspects committed the offence on May 23, 2022 as the state governor, Gboyega Oyetola; his deputy, Alabi; chieftains of the ruling All Progressives Congress and a crowd of party supporters stormed Gbongan, the headquarters of Ayedaade Local Government Area of the state for Oyetola’s re-election campaign.

It was gathered that the hoodlums had earlier engaged in a brawl with some political thugs from Osogbo, the state capital, before the crisis.

The suspects, armed with dangerous weapons, were said to have taken over the Ife/Ibadan Expressway in the town, where they reportedly attacked some travellers after the campaign in Gbongan.

Members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Osun State Correspondents’ Chapel, were reportedly not spared as their vehicle was attacked by the thugs.

The glass of the bus in which they travelled was shattered with some of the journalists on board sustaining varying degrees of injuries on their bodies.

Some Jeeps and Hilux vehicles in the convoy of the deputy governor were said to have been damaged by the suspects who pelted the convoy with stones.

The suspects were arraigned under tight security presence in Osogbo recently.

The charge brought against them read that “Ayobami Hammed, Kareem Jamiu, Yusuf Babatunde, Ismail Taiwo, Emmanuel Monday, Bankole Sunday, Raji Wasiu, Babatunde Nurudeen, Adediran Morenikeji, Olateju Olayemi, Lawal Victor, Aderemi Segun, Idris Olajide, Akimdoyin Ifeoluwa, Olanrewaju Femi, and Nurudeen Sulaiman and others now at large, on the 23rd day of May, 2022 at about 3:45pm at Ife/lbadan Expressway, Gbongan, Osun State, in the Osogbo Magisterial District, did conspire amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit unlawful assembly and threatening violence and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume II Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.

“You (defendants) did with intent to carry out common purpose, unlawfully assembled yourselves in such a manner as to cause persons in the neighborhood to fear or panic and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 70 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume II Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.

“You did with intent to intimidate or annoy, arm yourselves with guns and other dangerous weapons and attack the convoy of the Deputy Governor of Osun State, His Excellency Benedict Olugboyega Alabi, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 86 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume Il Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.

“You and others now at large on the same date, time, place and in the aforementioned Magisterial District, did conspire among yourselves to commit misdemeanor offences to wit going armed, willful damage and conduct likely to cause breach of public peace and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 517 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume II Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.

“You and others now at large, on the same date, time, place and in the aforementioned Magisterial District, did unlawfully go armed with guns and other dangerous weapons in public without lawful justification in such a manner as to cause terror to persons in the neighborhood and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 80 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume Il Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.

“You and others now at large, on the same date, time, place and in the aforementioned Magisterial District, did willfully and unlawfully damage Toyota Hilux, Jeep vehicles belonging to the Deputy Governor of Osun State, His Excellency Benedict Olugboyega Alabi, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 451 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume Il Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.

“You and others now at large on the same date, time, place and in the aforementioned Magisterial District, did conduct yourselves in a manner likely to cause breach of public peace by throwing stones at the convoy of the Osun State Deputy Governor and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 249(d) of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume II Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.

The police prosecutor, John Idoko, urged the court to remand the defendants on the ground of the sensitivity of the matter.

Magistrate Olusola Aluko asked the defence counsels to approach the court with a formal bail application and ordered that the defendants should be remanded in Ilesa Correctional Centre.

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