A Lagos Chief Magistrate’s Court, has remanded a chieftain of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Ganiyu Ayinde Oyedepo, a.ka. Kokosaria, in prison custody, following his arraignment on alleged offences of conspiracy, assault occasioning harm and conduct likely to cause breach of public peace.
Chief Magistrate B. Sonuga, remanded the NURTW chieftain, after he pleaded not guilty to the charges, made against him by the operative of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (ForceCID), Alagbon, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Kokosaria was arraigned before the court on Thursday , in a charge marked B/40/2024, by Barrister Morufu Animashaun, a legal officer in the legal department of ForceCID, Alagbon, Lagos.
Arraigning the defendant, Barrister Animashaun told the court that the defendant committed the offences in June 5, 2024, at Idimu area of Lagos State, by conspiring with some of his ‘boys’ and assaulted one Alhaji Ade Adele, popularly called Baba Lawori.
Barrister Animashaun further told the court that in the course of the assault, the said Kokosaria’s boys, broke Baba Lawori’s head with a bottle, which inflicted injury on him and caused him grievous harm.
The prosecutor told the court that the offences committed by defendant, contravened sections 411; 173 and 168 (l)(d) of the Criminal Law Ch. C17, Vol. 3, Laws of Lagos State. And punishable under section 168 (2) of the same laws.
The NURTW chieftain, Kokosaria, denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty the charges.
With the defendant’s not guilty plea, the prosecutor, Barrister Animashaun, urged the court to remand him in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS), pending conclusion of the charges.
But his lawyers, S. Bello with S. O. Egunjobi, orally moved their client’s bail application, saying that he is a noble person and a member of NURTW and that charge against their client is a bailable one, which the court can exercise it’s discretion judicially and judiciously.
They urged the court to grant him bail in the most liberal terms
The prosecutor however, while citing the plethoras of legal authorites, vehemently opposed the bail application on the ground that he is a ‘flight risk’, and that being a member of NURTW does not make qualified him to be a noble person.
The prosecutor asked the defendant’s counsel of their client is a governor or a popular police. He therefore urged the court to discountenance the bail application.
Ruling on the bail application, Chief Magistrate Sonuga, after hearing counsel’s submissions, admitted him to bail the defendant in the sum of N2 billion with two sureties in like sum.
The sureties, according to the Chief Magistrate, must be of unquestionable character, with evidence of means livelihood and who must be residing with the court’s jurisdiction.
The Chief Magistrate also ordered the sureties to present to court evidence of three years tax, and have their addresses verified.
Chief Magistrate Sonuga, while adjourning the matter to October 29, for mention, however remanded the defendant in NCoS’s custody, pending the perfection of the bail terms.
Charges against the defendant reads: “That you Ganiyu Ayinde Oyedepo (M) on or about the 25th day June, 2024 at Idimu, Lagos in the Lagos Magisterial District, Lagos conspired to commit Felony wit: Assault Occasioning Harm and committed an Offence contrary to Section 411 of the Criminal Law Ch. C17, Vol. 3, Laws of Lagos State
2015.
“That you Ganiyu Ayinde Oyedepo (M) on or about the 25th day June, 2024 at Idimu, Lagos in the Lagos Magisterial District , Lagos unlawfully procured one of your boys (now at large) who unlawfully broke bottle and inflicted injuries on the head of one Alhaji Ade Adele and committed an Offence contrary to Section 173 of the Criminal Law Ch. C17, Vol. 3, Laws of Lagos State 2015.
“That you Ganiyu Ayinde Oyedepo (M) on or about the 25th day June, 2024 at Idimu, Lagos in the Lagos Magisterial District, Lagos conducted ourself in a manner likely to cause breach of peace when you threatened and procured one of your boys (now at large) to break bottle on the head of one Alhaji Ade Adele and committed an Offence contrary to Section 168 (l)(d) of the Criminal Law Ch. C17, Vol. 3, Laws of Lagos State 2015 and punishable under Section 168 (2) of thé same Criminal Law Ch. C17, Vol. 3, Laws of Lagos state 2015.”
