On Tuesday, the Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court ordered the remand of three men in Kirikiri Prison custody for 30 days over the alleged robbery and murder of Sanni Adeniyi.

Fred Okunnu, 43, Lucky Idudu, 33, and Segun Adedigba, 26, whose addresses were not mentioned in court, are standing trial for the alleged robbery and murder of Mr Adeniyi, an aide to Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi.

The chief magistrate, TRA Oladele, who did not take the defendants’ plea for want of jurisdiction, ordered their remand in custody for 30 days, pending advice from the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

The magistrate adjourned the matter until January 9, 2024, for further hearing.

The prosecution counsel, Victor Eurada, informed the court that the case was one of conspiracy to kill, murder and armed robbery.

The investigating police officer, ASP Adekunle Adeshina, swore an affidavit supporting the remand form.

The prosecution counsel advised that the defendants be remanded and the case file sent to the office of the DPP for onward review and proper advice.

He said that the defendants had, on August 5, from 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at New Garage, Berger bus stop, on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, conspired to murder and commit armed robbery.

“The defendants and others at large unlawfully and intentionally shot and killed Sanni Adeniyi with an English brownie pistol, a locally made Beretta pistol, and a knife,” he said.

Mr Eurada stated that the defendants stole the deceased’s unregistered Toyota Camry saloon car, a 2017 black model valued at N12 million, which he was driving when he was flagged down.

“The second defendant, Lucky Idudu, with the intent to be taken as a member of the Nigerian Armed Forces, wore a military camouflage T-shirt, jungle hat and boots and flagged down the deceased to rob him,” the prosecutor said. “The defendants, during interrogation, said they had in their possession at the time of the robbery an English brownie pistol with three 7.65mm live ammunition and a locally-made Beretta pistol with six live cartridges, which they could not give a satisfactory account of.”

According to him, the offences contravene section 28(a)(b) of the Robbery and Firearms Act, 2004.

He said they also contravened sections 77(a)(b), 222(1)(a)(b) and (2)(a)(b), 233, 297(1)(2)(a)(b) and 299 of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2015. Section 233 stipulates 14 years of imprisonment for anyone found guilty of a conspiracy to kill any person, whether such a person is in the state or elsewhere. 

(NAN)