Lagos High Court begins hearing of assasination attempt on House of Assembly aspirant, Hon. Onamade, May 30
Ayodele Olalere
A Lagos High Court, Ikeja, will, on May 30, 2022, begin hearing in a case involving assasination attempt on the Managing Director of Western Funeral Home Limited, Ijede, Ikorodu, Hon. Oluwatosin Onamade, now an aspirant to the Lagos House of Assembly, Ikorodu Constituency 2.
This followed an appeal filed by the complainant against the decision of the Chief Magistrate of the Yaba Magistrate court, which had earlier granted bail to four suspects fingered in the attack that led to the death of one Mr. Ifeanyi Etunmuse, a staff of the company.
The four suspects; Atunrase Sodiq Omolabi ‘M’ 28 years, Shittu Michael Olawale ‘M’ 28 years, Olaide Opeifa ‘M’ 40′ years, and Olanrewaju Adebiyi aka Maja ‘M’ 35 years were apprehended by the police and charged for murder, causing grievous harm, belonging to unlawful society, cultism, and conspiracy to commit felony.
The police had dragged the four suspects before the court for killing
Ifeanyi when they, along other eight sponsored cultists allegedly attacked the Western Funeral Home Limited, on April 16, 2021, in an attempt to assassinate him but he narrowly escaped. However several other staff of the company were severely injured in the violent attack.
The Magistrate, Adeola Olatunbosun, it was learnt, while executing the advice of the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) dated December 13, 2021 in suit MISC/MCY/766/21 had granted bail to the suspects in the sum of N300, 000 while the matter was adjourned for mention till March 21, 2022.
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Hon.Onamade immediately filed an appeal before the Court of Appeal, with the Attorney general of Lagos State and the Director, Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) as respondents, expressing utmost dissatisfaction with the decision of the Chief Magistrate to grant bail to the suspects in a murder case.
According to Onamade, the pronouncement by the court is quite upsetting and unbelievablee “the whole decision of the Court to try murder case and the discretionary power of the court to grant bail to the four defendants in murder charge even when no one applied for it really raises a lot of questions.”
He urged the appeal court to declare that ‘the lower magistrate court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the matter, and for an order that the lower court excuse itself from the matter, an order setting aside the proceedings and rulings of 23rd day of February, 2022 as it lacks jurisdiction to do so, and an order directing the learned chief magistrate , His Worship, Adeola Olatunbosun (Chief Magistrate) to relief himself or any other magistrate from further proceedings, approving bail and / or doing anything on the instant charge pending the final determination of the appeal, amongst others.’
Granting the request of the appellant on Monday 4th of April, 2022, the appeal court overturned the earlier decision of the magistrate court and ordered that the matter be moved to a higher court of jurisdiction for further treatment.
The matter which has now been moved to Ikeja High Court of Lagos with suit no ID/18824C/2022 will now be heard on May 30 before Justice Oshodi.
Two of the suspects are presently remanded in Ikoyi prison.
