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A Special Offences Mobile Court sitting in the Ikeja Magisterial District on Tuesday jailed a 27-year-old street trader, Matthew John for assaulting a Neighbourhood Safety Corps official, Mr. Alape Solomon and biting off his lips during a Clean-Up enforcement exercise in Victoria Island.
The accused, who was arraigned before Magistrate Israel Adelakun on a three-count charge of conduct likely to cause breach of peace, obstruction of an officer and assault, was convicted and sentenced to six months imprisonment in addition to a fine of N100,000, in line with sections 168 (1) (d), section 117(1), section 174(b) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015.
Speaking on the incident, the Chairman of the Special Committee Mr. Tunji Bello described the action of the trader as barbaric, noting that such an unwholesome act was becoming too rampant in the State.
He said it was disheartening that officers employed to safeguard members of the public are being attacked by the same people whose interest they were out to protect and expressed hope that the latest conviction would serve as a deterrent to others nursing such acts in future.
According to him, “The accused person was apprehended for Illegal Street trading along Eletu Ogabi Street in Victoria Island and in the process of resisting arrest, he held on to the head of one of the officers who accosted him and sunk his teeth into the lips, severing a sizeable chunk of flesh”.
“The assaulted enforcement officer, who bled profusely from the upper and lower lips, was rushed to the Lagos General Hospital where the wound was treated and sutured before he was discharged”, Bello said.
