Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
An Ekiti State Chief Magistrate Court in Ado Ekiti yesterday ordered the remand of Ibrahim Abdullahi, 28, and Muhammed Umaru, 23, in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service for allegedly kidnapping and robbing one Ayodeji Bankole.
The remand followed an ex-parte application brought to detain the defendants by the Police prosecutor, Inspector Oriyomi Akinwale, saying granting the order will allow the police to complete their investigation, while the duplicate case file will be forwarded to the office of Director of Public Prosecutions for legal advice.
In his ruling, the Chief Magistrate, Bankole Oluwasanmi, said: “The accused persons should be taken to the Nigeria Correctional Centre in Ado Ekiti and be remanded for a first and initial period of one month effective from March 24, 2022.”
According to the charges preferred against them, Ibrahim and Muhammed were on March 16, 2022, at about 9:00p.m. at Ilemeso Ekiti in Oye Local Government Area of Ekiti State, allegedly conspired to commit offence of armed robbery and kidnapping of one Bankole Ayodeji.
In his statement, Ayodeji, a commercial motorcyclist, said he was working with some timber contractors in the farm around 9:00p.m. on that day when he saw the two Fulani herdsmen, who asked for his boss and ordered him to kneel down.
He said while trying to escape, one of them cut him with a machete on the head, hand and fingers, and led him to where he parked his motorcycle, but couldn’t ride it due to the injuries sustained.
Bankole added that they thereafter collected his phone, ordered him to unlock it and taught them how to operate it, as he was later kept in the bush where he eventually escaped and went to hospital for treatment.
While he was on the hospital bed, the defendants were arrested and brought to him for identification, which he was able to do.
The offences run contrary to Section 6 and 1 (2) (a) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provision) Act Cap. 398 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and Section 3(a) of the Kidnapping and Terrorism (prohibition) Law of Ekiti State, 2015.
The matter has been adjourned to April 25, 2022.
