By CHINYERE OMEIRE

A Lagos High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square on Tuesday continued the trial of three men and a girl charged with robbing a commercial motorcyclist of his motorcycle on gun point.

The defendants – Yusuf Salami; Lawal Adeyemi; Ismaila Olubuso and Novisat Adegun, are standing trial on a three-count charge of conspiracy, armed robbery and grevious harm.

The defendants pleaded not guilty but were remanded in the correctional centre.

When the case was called on Tuesday, the Lagos State Prosecution counsel, Mr. Olayemi Shofolu, called his first witness, Insp. Shedrack Onyeabo.

The witness told the court that he was an investigating police officer formerly attached to the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

He said that on April 12, 2019, at 10.20 a.m., a case of conspiracy, armed robbery and grevious harm was transferred from Ijaniki police station to the disbanded SARS in Ikeja.

Onyeabo told the court that the case was reported along with the four defendants and some exhibits which included a Bajaj motorcycle marked FKJ 441 QN; a hammer; an iron pouch (for removing nails from woods) and two toy guns.

According to him, the complainant, one Mr. Suleiman Mohammed, came along with an injury on his head.

The witness said that the complainant wrote a statement and narrated how the defendants robbed him of his motorcycle and inflicted injury on his head.

He said that one of the defendants (the girl, Novisat Adegun) entered his motorcycle and asked him to drop her at Awua Pakko-era, at Ijaniki area.

According to the witness, the complainant asked Adegun to pay N150 for the faire.

He said that the complainant narrated how he tried to drop the girl at her destination but was accosted by the other defendants, who came out of their hiding place and attacked him.

The witness said that the defendant pointed a gun at the complainant, kicked him and used the iron pouch to hit him on his head.

“As the complainant was lying in the pool of his blood, the defendants tried to drive away with the motorcycle but were apprehended by some sympathisers who were nearby.

“Two of the defendants, the girl and one of the men ran away but were arrested later,” he narrated.

Onyeabo said that the statements of the defendants were, however, recorded and was recorded under caution.

The trial judge, Justice Yetunde Adesanya, however, adjourned the case until July 4, for continuation of trial.

Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Mr. Olayemi Shofolu, said that the defendants committed the offences on April 7, 2019, at 6.20 a.m. at Ijaniki area of Lagos.

He said that the defendants robbed one Suleiman Mohammed of his Bajaj motorcycle with guns and other dangerous weapons and inflicted grevious injury on his head.

According to Shofolu, the offences contravene Sections 245, 297 and 299 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. (NAN)

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