News

By DAYO JOHNSON
AKURE—IT was a show of shame yesterday in Akure the Ondo State capital as two lawyers querrelled over who would give legal representation to six armed robbery suspects including an Evangelist brought before an Akure Chief Magistrate court  on a three-count charge of robbery, stealing N30million and murder.

Four persons;  Tunde Adebo, Tunde Obiesan, Atolagbe Sunday and Bankole Olowoyelu a security guard attached to  a new generation bank in Akure, were killed during the robbery attack on a bank last year.

It took the intervention of the trial Chief Magistrate, Johnson Adelegan, to calm the two lawyers Chief Azeez Agbaje and A. B Adesida.

To ascertain who should represent the suspects, the Chief Magistrate asked the suspects one after the other to choose between the “warring” counsels who would represent them.

The suspects unanimously pointed at Agbaje and the trial Chief Magistrate asked Adesida to withdraw forthwith from the matter “in order for us not to wash our dirty linens in the public.”

After the resolution of the legal representation, the prosecuting Police officer, Zakari Ibrahim asked the court to remand the accused in custody of the police division of the Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS until the completion of the investigation.

Counsel to the accused, Chief Agbaje said he was not opposed to them being remanded in police custody but pleaded that they should not be tortured by the police.

The trial Chief Magistrate Adelegan then ruled that the accused person be remanded in police custody till May 30 this year for hearing of the case.