DPP Indicts NURTW Chieftain, Kunle Poly

MICHAEL AKINOLA 

The Directorate of Public Prosecution, (DPP), has indicted the Lagos Island Branch B Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, (NURTW), Azeez Lawal (a.k.a Kunle Poly), who was charged for murder, even though the Court granted him bail for the alleged offence. 

P.M.EXPRESS reports that Kunle Poly was charged along with one Adekanbi Wahab, 38, for conspiracy and murder, then remanded in custody and the matter was referred to the DPP for advice. 

The Chief Magistrate, Linda Balogun, of the Yaba Magistrates Court, said on Monday that the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) advised that a prima facie case had been established against the defendants.

Magistrate Balogun stated that Lawal, 48,  is to be tried for accessory after the fact to murder while Wahab will face trial for membership of an unlawful society.
She added that the DPP advised that three other defendants, whose names were mentioned in the advice, though they were charged separately from the two defendants, should be discharged.

She subsequently transferred the case to the High Court for trial after a lawyer from the DPP, Mrs. O. R. Saliu, had told the Court that the legal advice was ready and in the Court’s file.

Following an application by counsel to  both defendants, Mr. Adeshina Okulana, who told the Court that the defendants had been in custody for 78 days, the Chief Magistrate granted each of them bail in the sum of N1m with two sureties in like sum. 

The Court held that one of the sureties must be a traditional ruler or religious leader, adding that both sureties must reside within the Court’s jurisdiction.
She also directed that a self-employed person would not stand as the surety, adding that any civil servant wishing to stand as the surety must get a letter from the Head of Service of Lagos State.Mrs. Balogun adjourned the case till  11th May, 2022, for the report on filing of the case at the High Court.

The defendants were earlier charged with conspiracy to commit murder, murder and membership of an unlawful society and were remanded for an initial period of 30 days on 27th January and another 30 days on 28th February, 2022.

The defendants were earlier remanded the defendants at the Police Zonal Monitoring Unit, Zone 2 Headquarters, Onikan and subsequently at Ikoyi Custodial Centre.