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A Lagos State Chief Magistrate Court has remanded a chieftain of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Ganiyu Oyedepo, popularly called Koko-Zaria, for assaulting a Nollywood actor, Ade Adele, also known as Baba Lawori.
Koko-Zaria was remanded following his arraignment on alleged offences of conspiracy, assault occasioning harm, and conduct likely to cause a breach of public peace in the state.
Chief Magistrate B. Sonuga remanded Koko-Zaria pending the perfection of his bail application after he pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him by the operatives of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID).
The Police counsel, Morufu Animashaun, in a charge marked B/40/2024, told the court that the defendant committed the offences on June 5, 2024, at Idimu, by conspiring with some of his ‘boys’ to assault Lawori.
He said in the course of the assault, Koko-Zaria boys, injured Lawori in the head with a bottle.
He told the court that the offences committed by Koko-Zaria, contravened sections 411; 173 and 168 (l)(d) of the Criminal Law Ch. C17, Vol. 3, Laws of Lagos State and punishable under section 168 (2) of the same laws.
Koko-Zaria denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The defendant’s counsel, S. Bello moved for bail application, saying the charge against their client is a bailable one.
He urged the court to grant him bail in the most liberal terms.
Chief Magistrate Sonuga after hearing counsels’ submissions granted Koko-Zaria bail in the sum of N2 million with two sureties in like sum.
The sureties, according to the Chief Magistrate, must be of unquestionable character, with evidence of means of livelihood and must be residing within the court’s jurisdiction.
The Chief Magistrate also ordered the sureties to present to court evidence of three years of tax and have their addresses verified.
Chief Magistrate Sonuga, while adjourning the matter to October 29, for mention, however, remanded the Koko-Zaria in the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS) custody, pending the perfection of the bail terms.
