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An Iyaganku Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Ibadan, on Tuesday, ordered that alleged notorious Fulani herder, Abdullahi Wakili, be remanded in a correctional facility.
The police charged Wakili, 70, alongside his sons, Abu, 45; and Samaila, 27; as well as Aliyu Manu, 20; before Chief Magistrate Emmanuel Idowu, on six counts bordering on conspiracy, murder, kidnapping and armed robbery.
Wakili was recently arrested by men of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) on the grounds that he is the leader of the notorious gang known for terrorising the people in Ibarapa area of Oyo State and had handed him over to the police authorities after his arrest.
The pleas of the defendants were however not taken for lack of jurisdiction of the court to hear the matter.Magistrate Idowu ordered that the suspects be remanded at the Abolongo Custodial Centre of the Nigeria Correctional Service in Oyo town.
The court further ordered the police to send the case file to the Oyo State Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice and adjourned the matter till May 17, 2021 for mention.
The prosecution counsel, ASP Adewale Amos, while presenting the suspects before the court alleged that Wakili, Abu, Samaila and Manu conspired to commit the offence for which they are being charged.
According to Amos, Wakili and others had on October 20, 2015, caused the death of Cpl. Akinwale Akande, 32, while he was performing his lawful duty, alleging further that on August 15, 2020 at about 4pm in Idi Emi in Oyo State, Wakili and others kidnapped a woman while armed with cutlasses and axe, then robbed her of N100, 000.
These offences according to him contravene the provisions of Sections 316 and 324 of the Criminal Code of Oyo State 2000 and are punishable under Section 319 of the same law.
He further stated that the said offence also contravenes the provisions of Sections 3 and 6 of the Kidnapping (Prohibition) Law 2016 and punishable under Section 4 (2) of the law as well as Section 6b of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act .Cap RII, Vol.14, Laws of Federation of Nigeria 2004 and Section (2) (a) (b) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions).
The four defendants were represented by a legal counsel identified as Oritsuwa Uwawa.