Pascal Arogorn Ibe
70-year-old Abdullahi Wakili was on Tuesday docked with two of his sons; Abu (45) and Samaila (27), alongside another man identified as Aliyu Manu (20) before Chief Magistrate Emmanuel Idowu, of the Oyo State Chief Magistrate Court sitting at Iyaganku, on a six-count charge bordering on conspiracy, murder, kidnapping and armed robbery.
It will be recalled that Wakili was recently arrested by men of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) who identified him as Iskilu Wakili on the grounds that he is the leader of the notorious gang known for terrorising the people in Ibarapa area of Oyo State and had handed him over to the police authorities after his arrest.
The pleas of the defendants were, however, not taken due to issues bordering on the lack of jurisdiction of the court to hear the matter and Magistrate Idowu ordered that the suspects be remanded at the Abolongo Custodial Centre of the Nigeria Correctional Service in Oyo.
The court further ordered the police to send the case file to the Oyo State Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice and adjourned the matter till May 17, 2021, for mention.
The prosecution counsel, ASP Adewale Amos while presenting the suspects before the court to be docked alleged that Wakili, Abu, Samaila and Manu conspired to commit the offence for which they are being charged.
According to ASP Amos, Wakili and others had on October 20, 2015, caused the death of Cpl. Akinwale Akande (32) while he was performing his lawful duty, alleging further that on August 15, 2020, at about 4 p.m in Idi Emi in Oyo State, Wakili and others kidnapped a woman while armed with cutlasses and axe, then robbed her of N100,000.
These offences according to him contravene the provisions of Sections 316 and 324 of the Criminal Code of Oyo State 2000 and are punishable under Section 319 of the same law.
He stated further that the said offence also contravenes the provisions of Sections 3 and 6 of the Kidnapping (Prohibition) Law 2016 and punishable under Section 4 (2) of the law as well as Section 6b of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act. Cap RII, Vol.14, Laws of Federation of Nigeria 2004 and Section (2) (a) (b) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions).
The four defendants were represented by a legal counsel identified as Oritsuwa Uwawa.
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