Police Arraign Iwo Arson Suspects

By Toheeb Badmus and Sukurat Adewumi

Osun State Police Command has arraigned 28 persons before an Osogbo Magistrate Court over their alleged involvement in the burning of a police station in Iwo recently.

The suspects are Raheem Adewale, Lateef Oluwafemi, Ishola Jimoh, Kazeem Rafiu, kabiru Mudashiru, Ajayi Micheal, Wasiu Sulaiman, Adeyemi Buhari, Mathew Tochukwu, Tela Akeem, Kamoli Dudu, Arioye Saheed, Adeniyi Mohammed, Basiru Mutairu and Muhammed Abdulraheem.                        Others are Petu Jimoh, Ibraheem Adeyemi, Kamoru Adisa, Samatu Ahmed, Saheed Adisa, Adetoye Wasiu, Alao Timilehin, Obele Adeyemi, Jimoh Sodiq, Adiamo Abdullahi, Obele Adekunle, Oladunjoye Issac Abiodun and Owoade Yekini.

The suspects were arraigned on 17 count charges bothering on arson, malicious damage of police properties, assault, unlawful assembly, riot and stealing among others.

The crime allegedly committed by the suspects, the medium gathered, was the consequence of the killing of one Babatunde Nafiu, a student of Osun State Polytechnic Iree by an official of Special Anti-Crime Robbery Squad (SARS) in Iwo, recently.

The prosecutor, Inspector Mustapha Tajudeen, informed the court that the accused persons allegedly committed    the offence on August 24 at around  10:30pm at Iwo.

He further stated that they conspired to set ablaze a police Area command office and its quarters which led to unlawful damage of Police Patrol Vehicles with reg no NPF 446D, NPF 38C, SAS 05, NPF 7619, and SUV Jeep with registration number GGC 281 GE valued N3.4 million and other items.

The suspect pleaded guilty to the charges against them.

The defence counsel, Mr. Taofeek  Telowogbade urged the court to admit his clients to bail in the most liberal terms.

The Magistrate, Fatimoh Sodamade, granted the accused persons bail in the sum of N500,000 with one surety each.

The magistrate adjourned the case till October 8 for hearing.