CYRIACUS IZUEKWE
A 22-year old suspected armed robber, Yezidu Abdullahi, has been arrested in Lagos State for allegedly slitting the throat of a motorcycle operator, Hassan Sanni, while on motion, which caused his death.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the incident happened at Agbowo area of Lagos, where the suspect boarded the victim’s motorcycle as passenger.
The suspect was said to have boarded the victim’s motorcycle as a passenger and when they got to a particular location, he brought out his knife and sliced his throat. The victim bled to death while he escaped with the motorcycle.
However, he was unlucky after he started using the bike as he was caught and handed over to the Police at the SCID, Yaba, Lagos, for murder and stealing.
After thorough interrogation, the Police found him culpable and subsequently charged him before the Ebute Metta Chief Magistrates Court on a two-count charge of murder and stealing and allegedly robbing another motorcycle with a knife.
When he was arraigned, the Court did not take his plea on the murder charge following a motion moved by the prosecutor, Supol Julius Babatope, asking the Court to refer the matter to the DPP for advice while he pleaded not guilty to the second charge of stealing.
The Prosecutor, Babatope, had earlier told the Court that the defendant had committed the offences on June 30, at Agbowo area of the State, by using his knife to slit the throat of the victim, Hassan Sanni, now deceased, after robbing him of his motorcycle, which he later converted to his own use before being caught.
“The defendant had posed as a passenger and had boarded the motorcycle of the deceased; on reaching a particular spot, he pulled out his knife and slit the throat of the rider and absconded with his motorcycle,’’ he said.
The prosecutor also alleged Abdullahi to have also robbed one Adeyemi Femi with a knife, of his Bajaj motorcycle valued at N365,000 before he murdered the late Sanni.
The alleged offences contravened Sections 223 and 297 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State with Section 223, which prescribed death sentence for convicts while 297 stipulated three year jail term.
The Magistrate, Mrs. M. Ajayi, ordered the remand of the defendant at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and adjourned the case until 19th September, 2022, for the DPP’s advice to be available, which will determine if the matter will be transferred to the High Court or not over jurisdiction.