Lagos – Nine men and a woman were on Friday arraigned at an
Igbosere Chief Magistrates Court in Lagos, over the alleged assault of three
women at the Oba Morufu International Market, Ejigbo, Lagos.
The accused include: Isiaka Waidi, 60; Azeez Akinosun, 35;
Saheed Adisa, 28; Jimoh Busari, 49; Tijani Lateef, 37 and Adekunle Adenuga, 57.
Waidi, Akinosun, Adisa, Busari, Yusuf and Abdullahi are
facing charges of conspiring to murder and indecent acts.
Waidi is facing an additional charge of demanding property
with violence, with intent to steal.
Akinosun, Adisa and Busari also face additional charges of
conspiracy, managing an unlawful society and unlawful assembly.
While, Lateef, Adenuga, Adisa and Dauda are facing charges
of conspiracy and neglect to prevent felony.
The accused, however, denied the charges.
The prosecutor, ASP Charles Odii, told a packed courtroom
that the accused committed the offences alongside others now at large on Feb.
11, 2013 at the Oba Morufu International Market, Ejigbo, Lagos.
He said Waidi, Akinosun, Adisa, Busari and Abdullahi
conspired with others now at large to commit murder.
Odii said the accused assaulted one Miss Juliana Agoma, Mrs
Ajoke Agoma and Mrs Nike Salami by inserting ground pepper into their private
parts.
The prosecutor said that Waidi also demanded N50,000 from
one Mr Fima Agoma and threatened to injure him and kill his wife and daughter,
if he failed to pay the money.
He said that Akinosun, Adisa, Busari assisted in the
management of an unlawful society called Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) and also
took part in an unlawful assembly at the market.
The prosecutor said that Dauda, the head of the Market
Women’s Association, Lateef and Adenuga neglected to prevent the commission of
the offences at the market.
He said that they were aware of the torture of the women and
failed to use all reasonable means to avoid or stop the torture.
Odii said that the offences were in violation of Sections
41, 44(4), 134, 231, 299, 408 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
Section 299 prescribes 14 years imprisonment for anyone
convicted of the offence of conspiring to commit murder.
Mr Fima Agoma was present in court as a prosecution witness,
while Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, the President, Women Arise for Change Initiative,
was there to observe proceedings.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Adeola Adedayo, admitted each of
the accused to bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties each in like sum
and adjourned the case till July 23, for mention.
She also directed that the case file be duplicated and
transferred to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), for
advice. (NAN)
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