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By Christopher Oji
Six people were yesterday arraigned before the Tinubu Chief Magistrate’s Court, Lagos following an attack on a construction engineering company in the Araromi Ale area of Lagos – Badagry Expressway.
The accused persons were identified as: Ayuba Olabimtan, Moses Mathew Balogun, Ajose Ademola, Thomas Idowu Akilapa l, Johua Ajose and Keke Sunday.
The six people identified as landgrabbers were arrested following a petition to the Deputy Inspector General in charge of D Department of the Nigeria Police Force, Area 10, Abuja.
The arrest and subsequent arraignment of the accused persons are contrary to the reports that the engineering company and an estate agent, Alhaji Mutairu Owoeye, abducted the accused persons and took them to an unknown destination.
The petitioners had called on the police boss to save them from the arrested suspects and others now at large, despite a court judgement, a warrant of possession and a Certificate of Occupancy in their favour.
The arrest and arraignment of the suspects are contrary to reports that the accused persons were abducted by gunmen, who accompanied landgrabbers to the Lagos community last weekend.
The Prosecutor, Fadipe Abraham, told the court, presided over by Mrs KB Ayeye, that the suspects and others at large forcefully gained entrance into the engineering company’s premises, an action which is described as contempt of court order.
In a three-count charge against them, the accused persons were said to have maliciously damaged the properties of the petitioner and threatened the lives of their workers.
The charge against the accused persons reads: “That you, Ayuba Olabimtan, m; Moses Mathew Balogun, m; Ajose Ademola, m; Thomas Idowu Akilapa, m; Johua Ajose, m; Keke Sunday, m, and others at large, sometime between Friday, February 17, 2017 and November 11, 2022 at Imowo, Badagry Road, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to with: malicious damage, contempt of court, forcible entry and conduct likely to breach public peace, an offence punishable under Section 411 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2015.
“That you, Ayuba Olabimtan, m; Moses Mathew Balogun, m; Ajose Ademola, m; Thomas Idowu Akilapa, m; Johua Ajose, m; Keke Sunday, m, and others at large, on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District did commit contempt of court by forcefully entering and retaking the possession of a land, lying and situated at Araromi Ale village, which was in the possession of Advance Engineering Construction Company and thereby committed an offence, punishable under section 104 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015.”
The accused persons were also said “to have, on November 10 and 11, 2022, at about 10:06am, at Imowo Badagry Road, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did in a manner likely to cause breach of public peace and forcefully entering a land which is actual possession of messrs Advance Engineering Construction Company and threatened the lives of the staff on the site and damaged some valuable properties, which cost is yet to be estimated and, thereby, committed an offence, punishable under Section 52 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2015.”
The accused persons were remanded in the Ikoyi Correctional Centre, pending the time they meet the bail condition of two sureties and N500 000 each.
