The Baale of Temidire Alagbado, Chief Nojeem Abioye and his son, Ganiyu Abioye were on Wednesday arraigned before a Lagos Magistrate Court in Igbosere for alleged complicity in the gruesome murder of one Alhaji Olatunji Rasak, touted as an informant of the police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Rasak, who is popularly known as Tunji Alaso and Alhaji Gay, was a hotelier with an alleged reputation for homos3xuality.
He was reportedly murdered during a riot on July 20, 2015 in the Alagbado area of Lagos State.
Abioye and his son were alleged to have spearheaded the protest which occasioned the death of Alhaji Gay and one Ganiyu Adebayo, stated to be son of a landlord in Alagbado area.
The riot had reportedly started shortly after a meeting of landlords and community leaders in Alagbado who were aggrieved by Alhaji Gay’s alleged land grabbing activities in the area.
Accordng to reports, the unrest was stated to have started when Alhaji Gay’s thugs engaged some youths in the area shortly after the elders’ meeting on July 20.
Specifically, the traditional ruler and his son were arraigned alongside 10 others for alleged complicity in the murder.
The accused were arraigned by the police on a five-count charge of conspiracy, rioting, malicious damage, arson and murder.
The 10 others who were arraigned alongside the traditional ruler and his son include Adeola Ogungbade, 37; Ogundare Ogunsanya, 63; Olanlerewaju Ololade, 62; and Bello Lasisi, 60.
Others were 54-year-old Ajani Kasali; Oyedele Musiliu, 64; Jonathan Sanyaolu, 68; Taoreed Bakare, 61; Olaidi Albert, 66; and Wahab Abioye, 38 years.
One of the counts reads that the accused persons “unlawfully caused the death of one Alhaji Rasaki Olaniyi Olatunji ‘m’ a.k.a. Tunji Alaso, by shooting him with a gun and also attacking him with other dangerous weapons and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.”
The men were also accused of forming “an unlawful assembly and acting in a disorderly manner as to disturb the peace of the community and its environment, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 45(2) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.”
Eg also charged the 12 accused persons with the offence of malicious damage and arson, saying that they were liable to being punished under Section 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.
But when the charges were read to the accused persons before a Magistrate O.M. Ajayi, they all pleaded not guilty.
Subsequently, Eg urged the court to order their prison remand while the prosecution would await the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on the case.
The Magistrate held that “the accused persons shall be remanded pending the DPP’s advice.”