An Ekiti State Chief Magistrate’s Court, Ado Ekiti Division, has remanded two persons, Owoseni Adefolaran and Oluwatade Olaleye, for their alleged roles in meting out jungle justice on a woman who was accused of stealing tubers of yam.
The defendants reportedly carried out the act in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, alongside others at large.
The two men are standing trial on a three-count of conspiracy to commit felony, assault and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.
The suspects were said to have brutalised the woman, inflicting bodily injury on her, stripped her and circulated videos of her nakedness on various social media platforms.
Reacting to the incident, the First Lady of the state, Dr. Olayemi Oyebanji, condemned the jungle justice meted out to the victim.
The governor’s wife, who described the treatment meted out to the woman as a violation of the dignity of her human person, insisted that nobody should resort to self-help instead of going through due process of the law to ventilate grievances.
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According to a statement by her Senior Special Assistant on Media, Odunayo Ogunmola, on Sunday, “The First Lady has mobilised the Gender Unit of her office to work with the Office of the Attorney-General to ensure that the victim gets justice.”
According to the charge against the defendants, they were alleged “to have committed the offences at about 6.00 am on September 5 at Aduramigba Community, Afao Road, Ado Ekiti, contrary to and punishable under Sections 421, 186 and 181 of the Criminal Law, Volume 1, Laws of Ekiti State 2021 respectively.”
Counsel to the defendants, Mr. Adefolaju Ayobioloja, who said the offences were bailable, urged the court to admit his clients to bail in liberal terms, describing the first accused person as the security man in the community and the second, as the secretary of the community.
The State Counsel, Mrs Shirley Atane, said that judging by the circumstances surrounding the offences and the number of people involved, granting bail would not assist in getting justice and given that other alleged offenders are still on the run.
Chief Magistrate Oluwasanmi, in his ruling, upheld the submission of the prosecution and denied the accused persons bail.
Oluwasanmi adjourned the case till September 19 for resumption of trial.