Truck conductors face trial over alleged murder

Trial of three truck conductors who allegedly tied and beat a man they accused of stealing a fairly used phone to death commenced yesterday before a Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere. The defendants are Bashiru Salami, Omokehinde Abdulatif, and Ibrahim Ajibola. They are facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and murder preferred against them […]

Trial of three truck conductors who allegedly tied and beat a man they accused of stealing a fairly used phone to death commenced yesterday before a Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere.

The defendants are Bashiru Salami, Omokehinde Abdulatif, and Ibrahim Ajibola.

They are facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and murder preferred against them by the Lagos State Government.

They were arraigned sometime in December 2017, for the offense allegedly committed on June 7, 2016.

According to the Prosecutor, the offense committed is punishable under Section 233 of the criminal law of Lagos State 2015.

However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Ayeme told the court that the defendants tied one Nse- Obong Idodo, dragged him to Conoil filling station at Tincan, Apapa, Lagos and beat him to death.

He said that the incident happened on June 7, 2016, at about 2 am, at Sand field, Tin Can Apapa Lagos.

Ayeme who was led in evidence-in-chief, by the Lagos State Counsel, Mr Babatunde Sunmonu, said that the case file of the incident was transferred to him at Port Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Apapa, that same day by one Seargent Oyinbo Joseph, from the Apapa Police division. He said that when he visited the scene of the crime, on June 8, 2019, with his team at Sand field, the DPO had already deposited the corpse of the deceased at Mainland Hospital.

Ayeme said while at the scene of the crime, there was a mob there and they saw blood stains on the spot where the deceased was killed, adding that the deceased was confirmed dead between  4 to 5 am, on June 7, 2016.

The witness told Justice Adedayo Akintoye, that during their investigation, they discovered that the deceased was tied up with a rope and beaten to death.

He said that a principal witness, one Garuba Ejo, witnessed how they tied and beat the deceased to death. He was the one that called the police before the defendants were arrested at around 4am.

The case has been adjourned till November 11, 2019, for the continuation of trial.