Court remands two for assaulting woman in Ekiti

An Ado Ekiti Chief Magistrate’s Court has remanded two persons, Owoseni Adefolaran and Oluwatade Olaleye for their alleged roles in meting out jungle justice on a woman they accused of stealing tubers of yam.

The two accused persons and others who are now at large brutalised the victim (names withheld), inflicted grievous bodily injury on her, stripped her naked and circulated videos of her nakedness, and attack her on various social media platforms.

The alleged offences were committed at about 6.00 am on September 5 at Aduramigba Community, Afao Road, Ado Ekiti and the accused persons are standing trial on a three-count charge before the Chief Magistrate, Mr Bankole Oluwasanmi.

The three counts of conspiracy to commit felony, assault, and conduct likely to cause breach of peace slammed on the accused persons are contrary to and punishable under Sections 421, 186 and 181 of the Criminal Law, Volume 1, Laws of Ekiti State 2021 respectively.

Counsel to the accused persons, Adefolaju Ayobioloja, urged the Court to admit his clients to bail describing the first accused person as the security man in the community and the second accused person as a secretary of the community.

The defence counsel argued that the offences are bailable ones asking the Court to grant them bail on liberal terms.

Opposing the bail application, state counsel, Mrs Shirley Atane, while noting that although the offences are bailable, the state has strong doubts that the accused persons would not jump bail.

She contended that judging by the circumstances surrounding the offences and the number of people involved, the grant of bail would not assist in getting justice and given that other alleged offenders are still on the run.

Chief Magistrate Oluwasanmi in his ruling upheld the submission of the prosecution and denied the accused persons bail.

The trial could not commence because the case file was yet to be received from the Police.

The case was subsequently adjourned till September 19 for resumption of trial.

Meanwhile, In her immediate reaction, the First Lady of Ekiti State, Dr. Olayemi Oyebanji condemned the jungle justice meted out to the victim and violation of the dignity of her human person insisting that nobody should resort to self-help go through due process of the law to ventilate grievances.

According to a statement by her Senior Special Assistant on Media, Odunayo Ogunmola, the governor’s wife has mobilized the Gender Unit of her office to work with the Office of the Attorney General to ensure that the victim gets justice.

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