The police in Lagos has arraigned two persons, Falilat Oluwayemisi and Adeshina Balogun, for allegedly demolishing a four-storey building worth N800 million.
The suspects were dragged before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court on a six-count charge of conspiracy and illegal demolition of the building belonging to a Lagos developer, Hakeem Olawuyi.
The Prosecutor, SP Josephine Ikhayere, standing in for Insp. Ajayi Emmanuel, told the court that the defendants conspired with others still at large to commit the offence on April 1.
According to the prosecutor, the defendants forcefully vacated the occupants and demolished the four-storey building with the help of thugs who used lethal weapons.
She said that the building, located at Number 20a, Church Street, Isale-Eko, Idumota area of Lagos Island, had 12 two-bedroom apartments, four self-contained apartments and 24 lock-up shops.
Ikhayere said that the total worth of items destroyed during the demolition was valued at N800 million, belonging to Olawuyi of Dapo Ola Construction Company.
She told the court that the offences contravened the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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The Presiding Magistrate, Mr Lateef Owolabi, standing on behalf of Magistrate O. I Raji, admitted the defendants to bail in N800,000 and two sureties, who must be gainfully employed with two years’ tax payment to the Lagos State Government.
Owolabi adjourned the matter until August 28 for mention.
In another development, the family of a 15-year-old boy, Ekene Dike, whose corpse was found in Mgbuodohia community, Obio-Akpor local government area of Rivers State has dismissed reports credited to the Police that they are not interested in the investigation into what led to the death of their son.
The father of the deceased, Mr. Bartholomew Dike, dismissed the reports when he addressed journalists in Port Harcourt.
Dike alleged that three suspects identified as Udoh, Elihah and Chima, took his son to the Mgbuodohia River where his dead body was later found on the 10th of August.
The father of the deceased said he had confronted the father of Udoh for smoking marijuana in the compound in Mile 2 Diobu Port Harcourt and also reported him to the landlord.
He claimed that after he informed their landlord of the activities of Udoh’s father, he constantly got threats from him.
The father of the late 15-year-old boy also revealed that he had to bury his son at the Mgbuodohia community, based on the culture and traditions of the people, which does not allow such a body to be taken out of the riverside.
“I tried to carry the corpse to put it in the mortuary but the indigenes there told me that they cannot remove the body from the riverside, that it is against their culture.
“The Policemen from Illuoabichi, they saw the body of my son. So the community people said the only option is that I must bury my son there.”
The Rivers State Police Command is yet to speak on the development.