A Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court has remanded two men, Abdullahi Akerele and Nurudeen Ogungbe over alleged murder of an official of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Ola Oyeshina.
The incident happened on November 29 while the deceased was on duty in the Sifax-Iganmu area of Apapa, Lagos.
Chief Magistrate Kikelomo Bukola Ayeye ordered the remand of the defendants following an application brought by the police seeking an order of the court for remand by virtue of Section 264 of Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) Lagos 2015.
Before ordering their remand, the Chief Magistrate Bukola Ayeye inquired into the circumstances under which the defendants were arrested.
The second defendant, Ogungbe informed the court that he was an eye witness to the incident.
Ogungbe claimed he saw the late LASTMA official’s encounter with a Mobile Police (MOPOL) while on duty at the sport where he was killed.
“Myself and the first defendant were passers-bye arrested during a raid on the area by the police. We were not involved. I promised to assist the police on their investigation. I am a member of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Apapa”, he said.
Chief Magistrate Bukola Ayeye ordered that the defendants be remanded in custody pending final investigation and advice from the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP)
She subsequently adjourned the case till January 28, 2020.
It would be recalled that some suspected hoodlums had unleashed violence on the deceased and his colleagues in an attempt to prevent them from towing stationery trucks disrupting smooth flow of traffic around Iganmu area of the road leading to Apapa.
As the LASTMA officials made to tow the trucks causing traffic blockade, some drivers and hoodlums pounced on them.
In the process, they reportedly hauled stones at the officials including late Oyeshina who became unconscious in the process and went into coma before he died.
REUTERS
