A Magistrate Court sitting in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital has remanded five in prison custody for their alleged involvement in the recent attack on the Agbaji, Ilorin family residence of the Senate President Bukola Saraki.
Police First Information Report (FIR) gave the names of the suspects as Omotosho Alawo, Ibrahim Shittu, Usman Ayilara Gobir, Ahmed Shina and Olashehu Ndarabi.
The suspects were dragged before Magistrate Mariam Dasuki for criminal conspiracy, mischief, theft, an attempt to commit an offence to with culpable homicide contrary to sections 97,327,288,299 of penal code.
They were alleged to have unleashed terror on Agbaji and Ode Alfa Nda communities, Ilorin during an electioneering campaign in the metropolis.
According to the FIR, the suspects engaged in a free-for-all during which Yusuf Babatunde, Ibrahim Taofeeq, Adisa Muritala and Hussein Hassan sustained serious injuries.
The fracas also led to the destruction of several vehicles parked within the areas by innocent citizens while buildings were also damaged, the FIR added.
It added that concerted efforts of the operatives of the Criminal Intelligence and Investigating Department (CIID), Police headquarters, Ilorin led to the arrest of the suspects.
The FIR stated that the suspects confessed to have actively participated in the fracas with others who are presently at large.
One of the phones stolen at the scene of the mayhem was said to have been recovered from one of the suspects.
The prosecutor, Gbenga Ayeni, urged the court to remand the suspects in prisons custody pending the determination of the police investigation on the matter.
The accused’s counsel Ayodeji Saka prayed the court to discountenance the submission of the prosecutor, arguing that the accused were still presumed innocent until contrarily is proven.
He said that remanding his clients is tantamount to pre-trial.
In her ruling, Magistrate Dasuki ordered that the suspects should be remanded in prisons custody.
_______
Follow us on Twitter at @thesignalng
Copyright 2019 SIGNAL. Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to www.signalng.com and other relevant sources.
