By Oluwatosin Maliki
On Friday, a Yaba Magistrate Court ordered that Taiye Adebayo be detained in police custody for the alleged murder of his colleague identified as Shonibare Surajudeen, during an altercation.
The defendant, Taiye Adebayo was arraigned in court by the police, on a one-count charge bordering on murder.
While the case was presided over by Magistrate L.Y. Balogun, it was said that Adebayo allegedly stabbed the 36-year-old (Surajudeen), while they were quarrelling, during the court proceeding.
Although the cause of the quarrel was not disclosed in court, it was gathered that the incident happened when Adebayo confronted the deceased, Sarajudeen, over an unknown issue, hence, leading to an argument.
Quest Times further reports that things quickly turned left as the defendant, Adebayo, allegedly used a knife to stab him.
The victim was immediately conveyed to the Mainland General Hospital, Yaba, but was pronounced dead on arrival by a medical doctor on duty.
In court, the police prosecutor, Chekwube Okeh, told the magistrate that the defendant committed the offence on November 19, 2023 at Ilaje, the Ajah area of Lagos State around 1.29 pm.
According to Okeh, the offence committed by the defendant is contrary to Section 222 and punishable under Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The charge read, “That you, Taiye Adebayo, on the 19th day of November, 2023, at about 0129hrs, at Ilaje, Ajah, Lagos State, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did unlawfully kill one Shonibare Surajudeen ‘m’ aged 36 years, by stabbing him with a knife and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 222 and punishable under Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.”
However, the plea of the defendant was not taken. Afterwards, the prosecutor pleaded with the court to remand the defendant to a correctional centre, pending the outcome of legal advice from the office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.
Okeh’s plea was granted by Magistrate Balogun. He remanded the defendant to the Kirikiri Correctional Centre, pending the outcome of the legal advice from the DPP.
Balogun then adjourned the case till January 22, 2024, for the DPP’s advice.