17th March, 2021
Adebisi Fatima Shittu
An Iyaganku Chief Magistrates’ court sitting in Ibadan on Wednesday, ordered that three members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) be remanded in a correctional centre for alleged arson.
The three OPC members identified as Awodele Adedigba, 45; Dauda Kazeem , 38, and Hassan Ramon, 33 were involved in the recent arrest of alleged Ibarapa kidnap kingpin, Abdullahi Wakili.
The Police levelled three counts of conspiracy, murder and arson against the suspects.
The prosecution counsel, Insp Opeyemi Olagunju told the court that the suspects on March 7, at about 8 a.m. at Kajola village, Ayete, allegedly caused the death of a 45-year-old woman.
He said that Awodele, Dauda and Hassan set fire to the house of Wakili, causing damage of N5 million.
The offence, he said, contravened the provisions of sections 316, 324, 443 and 516 of the Criminal Code of Oyo State 2000.
The Chief Magistrate, Mr Olaide Hamzat, who did not take the plea of the suspects, for want of jurisdiction, ordered that they be remanded in Abolongo Correctional facility, Oyo town.
Hamzat ordered the police to return the case file to the office of the Oyo State Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP).
He adjourned the matter till 21 April for mention.
The OPC members were arrested by the police after they arrested Wakili, alleged to be the mastermind of series of attacks, killings and kidnappings in Ibarapa area of Oyo State.
The Police claimed the OPC members set ablaze a house.
They also claimed the OPC set a woman ablaze in the course of the of arrest.