The defendants are being
prosecuted before Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye by the Lagos State Directorate of
Public Prosecutions.
Those standing trial are
the market leader, Isiaka Waidi (61), Buhari Yusuf (22), Abdullahi Haruna (20)
and Saheed Adisa (29).
Mrs Ajoke Agomo, who was tortured
alongside two of her wards for allegedly stealing pepper, yesterday, appealed
to an Ikeja High Court to do justice to their case.
Agomo made the plea while
testifying at the trial of 10 persons accused of committing the crime at the
Oba Morufu International Market in Ejigbo, in Lagos, on Feb. 11, 2013.
Others are Lateef Tijani
(37), Ahmed Adisa (65),Azeez Akinosun (36), Jimoh Busari (50), Adekunle Adenuga
(38) and Oloruntoyin Dauda (46), the woman leader of the market.
The defendants are facing a
19-count charge bordering on conspiracy, attempted murder, sexual assault,
maliciously administering poison, obtaining money by false pretences and
deprivation of liberty.
The Directorate of Public
Prosecutions, led by Mrs Idowu Alakija, alleged that the defendants, who are
members of the Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, had tortured Agomo, her daughter,
Nike Salami and her step daughter, Juliana Agomo.
Earlier during yesterday’s
proceedings, the court granted a N250,000 bail to each of the defendants with
two sureties in like sum.
The prosecution,
thereafter, proceeded to call its first witness, Agomo, who narrated their
ordeal in an emotion laden voice which was translated into English and Hausa.
Agomo told the court how
the first defendant (Waidi) came to her house on the day of the incident
looking for her daughter, Nike, and forcefully taking her to the market over
allegations of theft.
The witness said she ran
out to look for her husband and both of them proceeded to the market to meet
Juliana and Nike naked and being tortured.
“The first defendant now
pulled me over, stripped me naked and rubbed pepper mixed with gin on my face
and private part.
“They beat me with canes
saying that I am the mother of thieves,” Agomo said.
She said her children were
subjected to the same treatment despite her appeals to the woman leader of the
market.
According to her, the
defendants later demanded N250,000 from her husband for their release but he
only managed to raise N20,000.
The witness said:
”After so much pleading,
they finally accepted the money and allowed us to go.
“The first defendant later
came to our house and told the owner to eject us, which he did out of fear.
“We started sleeping at a
mechanic workshop and the little baby I was taking care of died during the
process.
“I am not saying that
anybody caused it but it was because we were sleeping on the street.”
She said, following the
development, her husband raised some money and she relocated to her home town
where she was told to forget her traumatic experience.
Agomo said it was in
December 2013 that a human rights activist, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, traced her to
the place after watching a video of the incident.
According to her, the
police later came and took her to the State Anti-Robbery Squad office in Lagos
and took her statement for further investigations.
“I was later told that they
have arrested the people who did it.
“I want the court to do
justice,” she said.
The matter was adjourned
till July 14, 15 and 16 for cross-examination of the witness.
They are really some mentalo out there
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