Court rejects ‘attempted murder’ charge against MAPOLY students

An Ogun State Magistrate Court, sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta, the state capital, Wednesday rejected the attempted murder charge brought against the 20 students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta (MAPOLY).

The students were arrested on Tuesday for taking part in a demonstration over indefinite strike of their lecturers.

The lecturers are quarrelling with the State government over the upgrading of the institution to a University status and relocation of its campus to another location.

The situation has made it impossible for the students to take their second semester examination. Tuesday’s protest was meant to force the government to get the teachers back to the lecture halls.

The suspects who were brought to the court premises on yesterday morning could not be arraigned as the charge contained in the charge sheet was reportedly rejected by Chief Magistrate Adeola Adelaja.

The Guardian gathered that Magistrate Adelaja queried the inclusion of attempted murder as one of the charges preferred against the students.

A staff member of the court at the registry department who preferred anonymity said the Magistrate told the prosecutor that the suit was not properly instituted. The suspects were returned to the police custody.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that many of the 20 suspects arrested are not students of the polytechnic and did not take part in the protest.

It has been confirmed that those arrested included a civil servant in the service of Ogun State government who was on his way to his house and a corps member. Only six of them are students.

Meanwhile, a judge, Temitope Obasanjo of Magistrate Court V, has remanded three suspected fake soldiers for alleged armed robbery and being in possession of offensive weapons.

AbdulSalam Isiaka, Afolabi Olawale and Adekunle Ademola were arraigned before Chief Magistrate Adeola Adelaja on A four-count charge bordering on armed robbery, stealing, impersonation and unlawful possession of firearms.

They were alleged to have dispossessed one Mrs Rukayat Sowole of her Nissan Primera car worth N1.3 million with registration number Lagos, LND 749 CZ.

They also allegedly dispossessed the victim of cash and belongings worth N75,000, her cheque book and the particulars of the same vehicle.

Although the charges were read to the accused persons, their pleas were not entertained as the magistrate ordered the case file to be sent to the Department of Public Prosecution for legal advice.