Kemisola Oye
THE Lagos State government has arraigned four men before the state Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja for offences bordering on armed robbery and engaging in cultism.
Femi Oguntukesi, Kazeem Sheriff, Adelokun Abiodun and Seun Metelewawon who were the first to the fourth defendant respectively, were artaigned earlier today before Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe.
The lead prosecution counsel, Adebanke Ogunode, brought four-count information against the defendants.
The first count borders on conspiracy to commit robbery contrary to Section 299 of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State 2015 preferred against the first and second defendants, Oguntukesi and Sheriff, respectively.
The second and third counts border on unlawful possession of a firearm and armed robbery against the first and second defendants.
For count two of the charge, the prosecution told the court that the two defendants on 17 March 2022, robbed a man of his Bajaj motorcycle.
The alleged offences as contained in the second and third counts are contrary to sections 51 and 297(2) (a) of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2015.
On count four, the prosecution brought a charge of membership of an unlawful society contrary to Section 42 of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2015, against the first to the fourth defendant.
The prosecution said the four defendants were found to be members of the Eiye confraternity, a cultism group.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to all four counts in the charge when read to them in the open court.
In response to the not-guilty plea by the defendants, the counsel to the state, Adebanke, informed the court that it had one witness and asked the court for a trial date.
The defence counsel, G. E. Iyoha told the court that he would call the four defendants as witnesses.
Justice Abike-Fadipe adjourned the matter till 10 July 2024 for trial.
Eighteen-Eleven Media