CYRIACUS IZUEKWE
A Magistrate Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the remand of three men in the Correctional Centre over alleged conspiracy, unlawful possession of firearm and armed robbery in Yaba area of Lagos State.
The defendants were Azeez Sulaimon, 23, Yusuf Tijani, 27, and Timileyin Oyetola, 24, who were charged to court by the Commissioner of Police.
The defendants were arraigned before Magistrate Mrs. O. Kusanu with SP Phillip Ademigbuji prosecuting, on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy, unlawful possession of firearm and armed robbery.
According to the charge sheet filed by the Command Tactical Squad 1, State Headquarters, Ikeja, and sighted by P.M.EXPRESS, the defendants and others now at large allegedly committed the offences on July 20, 2026, at about 10:30pm, at Abule-Oja area of Yaba, Lagos, within the Lagos Magisterial District.
In Count One, the Police alleged that the three defendants and others still at large conspired amongst themselves to commit felony to wit: unlawful possession of one locally made gun with four live cartridges, contrary to and punishable under Section 297 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
In Count Two, marked as Count IX, the prosecution alleged that the defendants, whilst armed with one locally made cut-to-size single barrel gun, robbed one Infinix Hot 60i phone valued at One Hundred and Seventy-Six Thousand Naira, N176,000, property of one Enitan Oladimeji.
The offence was said to be contrary to Section 296 and punishable under Section 297(2)(a) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The charge sheet was prepared by SP Banti Adamu, Officer in Charge, Command Tactical Squad 1, State Headquarters, Ikeja. The Investigating Police Officer is ASP Omoniyi Benjamin and the complainant is Enitan Oladimeji.
At the arraignment, the prosecutor, SP Phillip Ademigbuji, told the court that the offences are indictable and that the court lacks jurisdiction to take the plea of the defendants in respect of armed robbery.
He therefore, applied that the defendants be remanded in custody at a Correctional Centre pending issuance of legal advice by the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, DPP, Lagos State Ministry of Justice.
The defence counsel did not oppose the application for remand pending DPP’s advice.
In her ruling, Magistrate Mrs. O. Kusanu ordered that the three defendants be remanded in custody at the Correctional Centre at Kirikiri Town, Lagos, pending the outcome of DPP’s advice.
The Magistrate directed that the case file be duplicated and forwarded to the DPP for legal advice and adjourned the matter for mention.
Under the law, the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. The offence of armed robbery is triable at the High Court of Lagos State.
Police said one locally made single barrel gun with four live cartridges allegedly recovered from the defendants has been listed as exhibit, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend other suspects said to be at large.