10 arraigned for assault on Ejigbo women

Nine men and a woman have been arraigned at an Igbosere Chief Magistrates Court in Lagos, over their alleged involvement in the assault of three women at the Oba Morufu International Market, Ejigbo, Lagos.

The accused are Isiaka Waidi, 60; Azeez Akinosun, 35; Saheed Adisa, 28; Jimoh Busari, 49; Tijani Lateef, 37 and Adekunle Adenuga, 57.

Others are Buhari Yusuf, 21; Haruna Abdullahi, 19: Ahmed Adisa, 65, and a woman, Oloruntoyin Dauda, 45, who is the head of the market women association.

All of Waidi, Akinosun, Adisa, Busari, Yusuf and Abdullahi are facing charges of conspiring to murder and indecent acts, but Waidi is facing an additional charge of demanding property with violence, with intent to steal.

Akinosun, Adisa and Busari also face additional charges of conspiracy, and managing an unlawful society and unlawful assembly; while Lateef, Adenuga, Adisa and Dauda are facing charges of conspiracy and neglect to prevent felony.

All accused denied the charges.

According to NAN, the prosecutor, ASP Charles Odii, told a packed courtroom that the accused committed the offences alongside others now at large on February 11, 2013, at the Oba Morufu International Market, Ejigbo, Lagos.

He said Waidi, Akinosun, Adisa, Busari and Abdullahi conspired with others now at large to commit murder.

Odii said the accused assaulted one Miss Juliana Agoma, Mrs. Ajoke Agoma and Mrs. Nike Salami by inserting ground pepper into their private parts.

The prosecutor said Waidi also demanded N50,000 from one Mr. Fima Agoma and threatened to injure him and kill his wife and daughter, if he failed to pay the money.

He said that Akinosun, Adisa, Busari assisted in the management of an unlawful society called Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) and also took part in an unlawful assembly at the market.

The prosecutor said that Dauda, the head of the market women’s association, Lateef and Adenuga neglected to prevent the commission of the offences at the market.

He said that they were aware of the torture of the women and failed to use all reasonable means to avoid or stop the torture.

Odii said that the offences were in violation of Sections 41, 44(4), 134, 231, 299, 408 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

Section 299 prescribes 14 years imprisonment for anyone convicted of the offence of conspiring to commit murder.

Agoma was present in court as a prosecution witness, while Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, president of Women Arise for Change Initiative, was there to observe proceedings.

The chief magistrate, Mrs Adeola Adedayo, admitted each of the accused to bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties each in like sum and adjourned the case till July 23 for mention.

She also directed that the case file should be duplicated and transferred to the office of the director of public prosecutions.

In February 2013, the three women were tortured and had pepper inserted into their privates for allegedly stealing pepper, but video recording of the act did not surface online until December 2013.

One of the women died subsequently died from the torture.