Skip to main content

Lagos Oba kidnap trial stalled over change of counsel

Oba Goriola Oseni

Oba Goriola Oseni

The trial of four men who allegedly kidnapped the traditional ruler of Iba Town, Oba Goriola Oseni, was on Friday stalled due to the disagreement between two counsel over-representation of an accused.

The accused- Duba Furejo, Ododomo Isaiah, Reuben Anthony, and Yerin Fresh – were arraigned before a Lagos High Court sitting at Igbosere on Oct. 24.

They pleaded not guilty to an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, robbery and kidnapping.

At the resumed hearing on Friday, Mr. Seliowei Baidi announced his appearance for the first, second and fourth accused, but another lawyer, Mr. Anthony Onwueze, also announced that he was representing the fourth accused, Yerin Fresh.

Baidi, following the incident, told the court that rules of professional ethics had been breached, as a formal letter should have been written to him informing him about the change of counsel.

He said that his professional fees should be paid before another counsel could take over the case of the fourth accused.

Baidi read out to the court Rule 29 of the rules of professional ethics, which provided guidelines on how a counsel could be disengaged from continuing to represent an accused in a case.

Onwueze, however, informed the court that he had approached Baidi before the court sitting to inform him that he was briefed to represent the fourth accused.

The Prosecutor, Mrs. E. I. Alakija, told the court that Section 234 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2011, provided for a formal notice to be given before a counsel could be disengaged from representing a client.

Alakija, who is the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions, urged the court to adjourn the case to allow both counsel to resolve their differences.

Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo, consequently, said: “Both lawyers are advised to abide by the rules of professional ethics.

“The case is hereby adjourned till Nov. 11 for hearing. Witnesses must be in court and counsel must have resolved this issue.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the prosecutor had, during the arraignment, said that the accused committed the offences on July 16, at Oba’s Palace, Iba Town, Lagos.

She said that the accused conspired with others at large and kidnapped the Oba of Iba Town, Oba Oseni.

She also said that the accused murdered two persons at the Oba’s palace – a guard at the palace, one Sunday Okanlawon, and a commercial motorcyclist, Joseph Okeke.

The prosecutor said that the accused, while armed with guns, attempted to murder one Abosede Oseni, wife of the monarch, and also robbed her of her mobile phone.

She said that the offences contravened Sections 223, 230, 297, 299, 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State Ch. C17, Vol. 3, Laws of Lagos 2015.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Houthis Claim Attack on Central Israel in Response to Gaza ‘Massacres’

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has taken a concerning regional turn as the Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for an attack on central Israel. The group announced this as part of their escalating response to what they describe as "massacres" in Gaza amid the Israeli military’s operations in the strip. Details of the Attack The Houthis, a Shiite militant group with ties to Iran, declared that they launched missile and drone strikes targeting Israel. While the exact impact of these attacks remains unclear, reports suggest that Israel’s defense systems intercepted several threats over its airspace. This marks a significant escalation as the Houthis widen their involvement in the conflict beyond their typical operations within Yemen and neighboring Saudi Arabia. The Houthis’ Justification In their statement, the Houthis framed the attack as retaliation for Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which they characterized as indiscriminate bombings resultin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fire: UniJos Senate convenes emergency meeting on Monday

Fire at the University of Jos Library University of Jos is to convene an emergency senate meeting on Monday to review the level of damage done to the institution by the Saturday night inferno. The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sebastian Maimako, disclosed this on Sunday after inspecting areas affected by the incident. The fire, which lasted for more than six hours, destroyed the Library Complex that equally houses the faculties of management and social sciences. The fire also destroyed examination scripts, books and very crucial materials. Consequently, the vice-chancellor said “the Senate will meet tomorrow (Monday) to take a decision about the unmarked examination scripts that were burnt.” On the cause of the inferno, Maimako said investigation had commenced, adding that “nothing has been confirmed yet. We are still investigating.” The vice chancellor said the school was already working with federal authorities toward establishing a main fire station since the mini fire station in t...
Post a Comment
Read more

NDLEA arrests 252 suspects, seizes 3,073 kg Indian hemp

NDLEA operatives The NDLEA in Niger on Monday said that it had arrested 252 suspects and seized 3,073.9 kilogramme of Indian hemp(cannabis sativa) in the state. The NDLEA Commander in the state, Mr Joseph Iweajunwa, who disclosed this in Minna, said that the operations were carried out between January and September. “Our operations in Niger State from January to September 2016 led to the arrest of 252 suspects and seizure of 3,073.997 kilogramme of cannabis sativa,’’ he said. Iweajunwa said that within the period, the agency also seized 1, 530 litres of liquid drugs, especially cough syrup with codeine. He said the NDLEA also counselled and rehabilitated 90 drug addicts in the state within the period under review. The agency, he added, secured convictions of only nine of the suspects because the judge at the Federal High Court, Minna, went on leave. “ Now that the judge has resumed more suspects will be tried,’’ he said. He advised motorists, especially commercial vehicle dri...
Post a Comment
Read more