Area Boys Charged With Murder
Three street urchins, popularly called area boys, of no fixed address have been arraigned before an Ebute-Metta Magistrate’s Court, Ebute-Metta, Lagos State, South-West Nigeria for allegedly killing a commuter bus driver, Ayodele Daramola.
The accused were identified as Abiodun Olanrewaju, a.k.a. Whiteman, 28, Adebayo Ademujimi, a.k.a. Success, 45 and 25-year old Evan Noble.
They were alleged to have attacked the deceased at Ishagun area of Meiran, Lagos on 24 January, 2011, at about 9 p.m.
P.M.NEWS gathered that the wife of the deceased, who witnessed the killing of her husband, pleaded with the ‘boys’ to leave her husband alone but they refused. They ran away after the deceased became unconscious. He died before medical attention could get to him.
The accused were later arrested at their hideout by neighbours after the wife of the deceased raised an alarm. They were handed over to the police for investigation.
In their confessional statements to the police, they confessed to the crime and were arraigned in court.
Police information on the crime reads: “On 24 January, 2011 at about 9 p.m., Mrs. Omowunmi Daramola, wife of the deceased, a resident of Fafunwa Estate, Phase II, Command Road, Meiran was going out with her two children in company of his brother-in-law, Ireti Daramola, when she heard the screaming of the deceased and met Abiodun Olanrewaju beating him. She pleaded that he should be released, instead Abiodun called two others and they collected all his money and beat him to death.
“After this, they ran into an uncompleted building while the wife of the deceased sought help from villagers who arrested and handed them over to the police.â€
The accused were arraigned on a two-count charge of felony, to wit, murder, offences the prosecutor, Inspector Emmanuel Essien, said were punishable under Sections 324 and 319 of the Criminal Code, Cap. C.17, Vol.II, Laws of Lagos State, Nigeria 2003.
They pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Their counsel, Mrs. Nelda Adebambo, urged the court to grant them bail on liberal terms but the presiding magistrate, Mrs. Folashade Kayode, refused to take their pleas. Instead, she directed that the case file be duplicated and forwarded to the Directorate for Public Prosecution (DPP) for advice.
She also ordered that the accused be remanded in prison custody, pending the DPP’s advice.
The case has been adjourned till 4 March, 2011 for further hearing.
—Paul Sanusi & Abosede Agboola
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