Nine Family Member’s In Prison Over Murder

An Igbosere Magistrate’s Court in Lagos, yesterday, remanded in prison nine people including eight family members on alleged murder of a man over land dispute. 
The accused are Latifu Olarinde, 67; Sanni Olarinde, 32; Yusuf Olarinde, 31; Idris Olarinde, 26; Jide Olarinde, 27; Shola Olarinde, 24; Temitope Olarinde, 31; Usman Olarinde, 24; and Samuel Adebisi, 22.They are facing charges of conspiracy and murder. 

The Magistrate, Miss Olanike Olagbende, who gave the ruling, said the accused should be remanded at Ikoyi Prisons for 30 days pending advice from the State Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP.  Her words: “I hereby order that the defendants be remanded in prison till October 20 pending advice from the office of the DPP. Earlier, the prosecutor, ASP Charles Odii told the court that the accused committed the offences with others still at large on July 15 at Abule Ado in Satellite area of Lagos.  He alleged that the men shot and killed one Olajuwon Olawepo over land dispute. 

The accused also opened fire on policemen who were dispatched to the scene to restore order, but luckily they escaped unhurt,” he said.  Odii added that Latifu, the oldest among them and self-acclaimed Baale, led the group.   The trial took another dimension when Idris, the 4th accused, told the court that Olawepo was an armed robber.“  The person we shot was an armed robber my lord,” he said.  The offences contravened Sections 221 and 231 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.Meantime, a Mararaba Magistrate’s Court 2 in Nasarawa State, yesterday, remanded a 55-year-old ex-soldier, Ali Obenta, in prison custody over alleged resistance to arrest. 

Obenta, who resides at Masaka, is facing a three-count charge of criminal intimidation, cheating and resistance to arrest.The Senior Magistrate, Mr Jeremiah Danladi, refused an oral application for his bail, filed by his counsel, Mr Obolo Austine.Danladi adjourned the case to October 10 for hearing. 

The prosecutor, Mr Mohammed Aliyu, had told the court that the accused took his daughter, Joy, for a surgery at the Lafia Clinic at One Man Village, Nasarawa, on August 18.Aliyu said that Joy was operated on by Dr Makpa Hassan, with the consent of her father at a cost of N90, 000.He said that the accused made an advance payment of N30, 000 and wrote an undertaking to pay the balance the same day.  He said that on August 19, the accused ran away from the hospital with his daughter, without the doctor’s consent, but paid an additional N10,000 when he was traced. 

Aliyu said that the accused then promised to pay the remaining money before August 25, but absconded.  He said that when Obenta was later seen, he resisted arrest and threatened to shoot the doctor and make sure he did not practice again.  Aliyu said that the offences contravened the provisions of Sections 397, 322 and 172 of the Penal Code.