There was a mild drama on Thursday at the Igbosere Magistrate Court, Lagos State, when the presiding magistrate, Mrs Awogboro prevented a team of policemen from abducting an accused person.
A team of policemen from Abuja, led by one Sergeant Olumide, had allegedly invaded the court to arrest Alhaji Mutairu Owoeye for allegedly jumping bail on the same offence he was being tried for at the Igbosere Magistrate Court.
The policemen had told the magistrate that they were acting on the directive of a Deputy Commissioner of Police at the FCIB.
The magistrate had initially insisted on seeing the warrant of arrest, and after being given one by the policemen, she faulted it and directed the policemen not to arrest the accused person.
One of the counsels to Owoeye, Bayo Omoniyi, had initially pointed out that the police inexplicably arraigned Owoeye, his son and four other persons for the same offence at three different courts.
The police had in October last year invaded an uncompleted hotel in Ibeju Lekki area of Lagos State, where they allegedly recovered arms and ammunition and arrested four workers and security men in connection with the recovery.
The security men and the workers were arraigned in a Federal High Court in Lagos and had been standing trial in Suit No FHC/L /448c/16 since then. They had been remanded in prison custody since then.
Metro learnt that on the same discovery, the police arrested Owoeye’s son, Ganiyu, and arraigned him before an Ikeja Magistrate Court, presided over by Mrs M. O. Tanimola in a suit with number SOC / 70/16.
Owoeye and his son were also said to have been jointly arraigned again before an Igbosere Magistrate Court, presided over by Mrs Awogboro in a Siut No B /25/2016 and had been standing trial since last year.