26th December, 2021
By Paul Iyoghojie
Operatives of the Special Weapons and Tactical (SWAT) Team of the Nigeria Police at Adeniji Adele Lagos Island, Lagos have arraigned three suspected Ibeju-Lekki Land speculators in court.
They were arraigned before the Tinubu Magistrate’s Court over attempt to kill a land owner, Mr. Aondover Nesta by shooting sporadically at the site he was working.
According to the police, trouble started for the defendants, Sodiq Saheed, 38; Soji Aina, 43 amd Kazeem Ogbemi, 66, when they invaded the land where the complainant was working and started shooting sporadically in an attempt to kill him and reclaim the land from him.
Police further said that after the complainant survived the attack, he reported the incident to the Commissioner of Police, CP in charge of SWAT at Adeniji Adele, Lagos, CP Durosimi Olatoye who directed his crack team led by Inspector Nwaeze Onuoha to hunt down the defendants anywhere they could be found.
The police team after days of intelligence gathering tracked the defendants to a hide out in Ibeju-Lekki and arrested them.
The defendants were charged before the court on a two-count charge of conspiracy and attempted murder.
Police counsel, Reuben Solomon who stood in for Charles Onwumere told the court in the charged marked TA/21/2021 that the defendants and others at large committed the offence at a site at Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos in November, 2021.
Solomon informed the court that the complainant reported that he bought a parcel of land from someone in Ibeju-Lekki and that while he was working at the site to develop it, the defendants invaded the site and started shooting sporadically in an attempt to kill him, but that he managed to escaped into the bush.
Solomon said the offences, committed were punishable under sections 411 and 230 (a) (b) of the criminal law of Lagos State, 2005.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges and Magistrate, Mr. T.A. Idowu granted them N500, 000 bail each with two surety each in like sum.
Idowu adjourned the case till 20 January, 2022 for mention and ordered that the defendants be kept at the Ikoyi correctional facility till they perfected the bail conditions.