KINGSLEY EBERE
A 49-year old man, Inyang Muffat, has landed in trouble in Lagos State for allegedly relocating his children to his home town in Akwa Ibom State without informing his wife following a squabble.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the suspect, Muffat, has been arrested and charged before the Court for conduct likely to cause breach of public peace.
The incident happened on 30th October, 2023 at Alhaji Azeez Street, Oshodi, Lagos, where they reside.
According to the Police, the man had a disagreement with his wife and he secretly relocated their children without the wife’s knowledge, who was said to have gone to work.
When the wife eventually returned from work, she did not see their children. She asked her husband who informed her that he had relocated them to their village and handed them over to their relatives.
The matter was reported to the Police at Ikeja Division. The man was then arrested and detained at the station for interrogation over his alleged conduct.
During interrogation, he admitted that he actually relocated the children to his home town and that they are safe.
He also admitted that he did not tell his wife before he did so and the wife insisted that she wanted the children back to Lagos under her custody as their mother.
The Police found him culpable and directed him to go and bring the children back to Lagos.
However, after he was released on bail, he ignored the Police and did not travel to bring the children back to Lagos as they had agreed at the station during investigation.
The Police later rearrested him and charged him before the Ogba Magistrate Court for the alleged offence.
The charge read:
“That you, Inyang Muffat ‘m’, on the 30th day of October, 2023 at about 1200hrs, at No. 8, Alhaji Azeez Street, Oshodi Lagos, in the Ikeja Magisterial district, did conduct yourself in a manner likely to cause breach of the peace by relocating your children to the custody of a third party in Akwa Ibom State without the consent of their biological mother and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 168 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015.
He pleaded not guilty.
The prosecutor, Inspector John Iberedem, then asked the Court to give a date for hearing since he pleaded not guilty to enable the Police to prove that he actually committed the alleged offence.
The Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. E. Kubenije, granted him bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum, who must show evidence of means of livelihood and tax payment while addresses will be verified by the Court.
The matter was adjourned till 16th October, 2024, for mention while the defendant was remanded in custody at the correctional center at Kirikiri town, Lagos, pending when he will perfect his bail conditions.