2 Suspected Touts In Court Over Assault, Unlawful Damage

Two suspected touts,
Afeez Salami, 21, and Obinna Duru, 26, on Thursday appeared before a Surulere Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos over alleged assault of a policeman and unlawful damage of three vehicles.
Salami and Duru, residing at Sari-Iganmu, a suburb of Lagos, are facing a four-count charge of conspiracy, assault, breach of peace and unlawful damage.
The Prosecutor, Cpl.Gbenga Salami, told the court that the offences were committed on September 29, 2013 at about 9.18 p.m. at Graziella Hotel, Iganmu.
Salami said that the accused and others still at large assaulted some citizens at the hotel by hitting them with broken bottles, cutlasses, stones and other dangerous weapons.
“The accused also unlawfully damaged the windscreen and open-roof windscreen of a Nissan Pathfinder jeep 2002 model with plate number: EC 151 LSD, valued at N35, 000 property of one John Ohanyere.
“The accused also damaged the rear windscreen of an Audi 90 saloon car with number plate: AP 265 AWK valued at N20, 000 and the side glass of a Nissan Serena bus with number plate: BX 267 AGL worth N9, 000; belonging to the hotel.
“The accused smashed a bottle on the head of one Sgt. Ajagbe Babatunde attached to the Orile-Iganmu Police Station who was performing his lawful duty alongside his other members of the anti-robbery team,” Salami said.
The prosecutor said the offences contravened Sections 56, 171,348 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
The Tide source reports that Section 171 prescribes that any person who unlawfully assaults another, is guilty of felony and is liable to improvement for three years.
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs O.O. Ojuromi, granted the accused bail in the sum of N100, 000 with two sureties in like sum.
She ordered that the sureties must show evidence of three years tax payment to the Lagos State government.
Ojuromi also ordered that the sureties must be residing in Lagos and show genuine means of livelihood.
She adjourned the case till January12, 2015 for trial.