An Ikeja Chief Magistrates' Court on Friday remanded a Traditional Ruler, Adeoriyomi Obateru, and seven others over alleged murder of a mobile policeman.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Adeoriyomi, 48, is the Traditional Ruler of Egbin in Ikorodu, Lagos.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs A. A. Demi-Ajayi, rejected a bail application by the royal father, and remanded all the accused in the Kirikiri Prisons pending advice of the state Director of Public Prosecutions.
She said: "There is a case of killing involved; I am not going to grant bail."
The other accused are: Olawole Oderinde, 51; Hassan Otija, 25; Saliu Bilinu, 43; Yahaya Olaiya, 25; Kamolu Odubanjo, 30; Yusuf Sulaimon, 33, and Adesina Ojo, 32.
They are facing an eleven-count charge bordering on conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, assault, terrorism and membership of an unlawful fraternity.
The court did not take their pleas.
The Prosecution Counsel, Mr Chukwu Agwu, submitted that the accused persons and others at large committed the offences at 2:25a.m., on May 21 and May 22, at Imowonla Village, Ikorodu.
He said that the accused unlawfully shot dead Insp Ikpi Ikpi, 45, who was attached to Mopol 22, Police Squadron, Ikeja.
The prosecutor also said that the accused attempted to murder Cpl. Olasunbo Iwaloye and Cpl. Daniel Amodu, on whose bodies they inflicted injuries with a cutlass.
Agwu said that the accused also attempted to kill Messrs Wale Kijebe and Ismaila Ijebu by shooting them with a gun and causing them grievous harm.
The prosecutor said that the accused, while armed with guns, cutlasses, charms and other dangerous weapon, dispossessed Iwaloye of his AK-47 rifle and 13 rounds of live ammunition.
He said that the value of the rifle and the other stolen items, which belonged to the Nigerian Police Force, had yet to be ascertained.
The prosecutor said that the accused intended to intimidate the residents of the village by hiring armed gangs suspected to be members of Eiye Confraternity to terrorise them.
Agwu said that the offences contravened Sections 41, 221, 231, 228, 402 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
He said that the offences also breached Section 1(2) (a) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provision) Act, 1990
Counsel to the traditional ruler, Mr O. Fabunmi, had told the court that his client was being prosecuted in error.
He said that the name on the charge sheet was not the royal father’s.
"It is the wrong person that has been brought to court. The name of the first defendant is Akeem Adeoriyomi Oyebo, the Obateru of Egbin, Ikorodu.
"It is different from the name stipulated on the charge sheet. In view of this situation, the first defendant should be granted bail pending the correction.
The prosecutor, however, opposed the bail application.
According to him, the traditional ruler has been answering the name on the charge sheet since the charge was preferred.
The magistrate advised the defence counsel to file a proper application with regard to the traditional ruler’s name.
She adjourned the case to July 29 for mention.(NAN)
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