MICHAEL AKINOLA
The Police intelligence team from the Lagos State Command has tracked a mobile phone belonging to a woman , late Opeyemi Oyelami, who was killed by armed robbers to the buyers who bought the phone from the robbers.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the woman, late Opeyemi Oyelami, was attacked by three men who rode on a motorcycle at her shop at No. 52 Ikola Road, behind AIT, Alagbado, Lagos State, on 23rd January, 2022.
The armed robbers invaded her shop, shot her, then robbed her phone and escaped. She eventually died due to the gun shot injury she sustained during the attack.
Following the ugly incident, the husband of the deceased reported to the Police at Alagbado Division, who moved into action which led to the discovery of her phone with one of the suspects, Nurudeen Shotade and was arrested. He then led Policemen to arrest his accomplice, Abdullahi Abubakar.
The two suspects, Abubakar and Shotade, were arraigned before Yaba Magistrates Court for allegedly being in possession of the stolen phone belonging to late Opeyemi Oyelami, who was murdered by armed robbers.
The robbers, armed with a short gun, stormed her shop at about 6am and robbed her phone, a Tecno POP 5, shot her and she later died from the gunshot injury she sustained.
The Police, in trying to track down her killers, located the whereabouts of her mobile phone, which was sold to the suspects, Shotade and Abubakar.
During their arraignment, the prosecutor, I. G Oriabure, told the Court that the offense committed by the defendants is punishable under Section 328(1)(a)(b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2015.
However, they pleaded not guilty.
The Police prosecutor requested the IPO to explain what happened before Court and during the explaination, the IPO stated that the defendants were not involved in the killing of the deceased but were in possession of her mobile phone. .
He stated that Oyelami’s killers were apprehended in another operation in the Agege area of the State.
“They did not kill the deceased, she was shot by two robbers; one of whom is late and the other in Police custody with bullet wounds. They are charged because they sold stolen phones which they were aware that the phones were stolen, and have been in the business for years now” he said.
Thus, with the testimony, the Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. A.O. Salawu, granted them bail in the sum of N200,000 each with two responsible sureties; stating that one of the sureties must present a three years tax payment receipt and a six months statement of account that is verifiable.
They were remanded in custody at the Correctional Centre pending when they will perfect their bail conditions while the matter was adjourned till 1st June, 2023, for trial.