Moses Ofodeme
A magistrate court has ruled that a 69-year-old traditional ruler in Adavi Local Government, Kogi State; Asema Uka (Otumi-Ajoko), Momoh Nasir and 10 others be remanded in a correctional centre for alleged homicide.
The remand order was handed down by a Senior Magistrates’ Court in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital on Friday.
The Police had charged the traditional ruler and his alleged accomplices with criminal conspiracy.
Among the charges was attempted culpable homicide, aiding and abetting; contrary to sections 97(1) 229, 325 and 89 of Kogi Penal Code.
Senior Magistrate Agatha Shankyula ordered that they be remanded in the Federal Correctional Facility, Koton-Karfe, Kogi.
She granted a Motion Ex-parte dated and filed October 2 by the prosecution; led by Samuel Ikuntanwa of the legal department of the Kogi State Command of the Nigeria Police.
In her ruling, Shankyula held that the offence was serious in nature; adding that the need for further investigations had been slated in the affidavit.
“It is on this basis that I tried probable course to make this order. The suspects are to be remanded in the Federal Correctional Facility Koton-Karfe for the next 14 days; pending investigation and legal advice from the office of the Attorney-General or the arraignment before the appropriate Court on specific charges.
“This order is given for the first instance and pursuant to the provisions of section 294(1) of the ACJL of Kogi 2017,” she stated.
Thereafter, she adjourned the matter until October 16.
Earlier, Sgt. Tuesday Ganagana, in a motion brought pursuant to section 291 and 292 of the Kogi Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2017, sought an order of the Court to remand the suspects at the Federal Correctional facility, Koton-Karfe.
Ganagana sought for such order or further orders as the Court might deem fit to make in the circumstances of the application.
He argued that the suspects on September 28, attacked and injured a group of persons as the victims were praying at Kabba junction for the proposed December 12 Local Government Council elections.
The prosecution alleged that the suspects criminally aided by one Momoh Nasiru; armed themselves with gun, sticks, stones, knives and cutlasses and invaded the venue without provocation; attacked and inflicted various degrees of injury on about eight persons.
Nevertheless, the defence counsel, Mu’azu Abbas, prayed the court to admit his clients to bail.