FIVE suspects have been arraigned before a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Akure the Ondo State capital over the lynching of an Uber driver, Temitope Olorunfemi.
Olorunfemi was lynched in the Ijoka area of Akure after his Toyota Camry car killed one person and injured several others on Easter Monday.
The vehicle was set ablaze by the mob who claimed to have discovered some fetish items in the car, leading to suspicions that Olorunfemi was an internet fraudster, also known as a ‘Yahoo boy.’
READ ALSO:
Family of man lynched in Akure says he’s not ‘Yahoo boy’, calls for justice
Reckless driving claims two lives in Akure, suspect stoned to death
FEC okays N95.8 billion for Akure-Ado road
Violent protests erupt in Abeokuta, Akure over scarcity of cash, fuel
After the incident, the Ondo State Police Command arrested the suspects for their involvement in the incident.
The suspects include Victor Amos, Ismaila, Pelumi Farotimi, Nurudeen Kumuyi and Samuel Olatunji.
The were arraigned on three counts bordering on felony, unlawful murder and arson.
The prosecutor, Inspector Nelson Akintimehin, told the court that the defendants and others who are still at large committed the offences on April 10, 2023, opposite Odopo Town Hall along Ijoka Road, Akure.
Akintimehin alleged that the accused killed Olurunfemi with sticks, stones, and other weapons, noting that they also maliciously damaged his Toyota Camry car by setting it ablaze.
He said the crime contravenes sections 324, 316(1), and 451(6)(J) of the Criminal Code, Cap 37 Vol. 2 Laws of Ondo State.
The prosecutor urged the court to remand the defendants at the Olokuta Correctional Centre while awaiting advice from the Office of the State Director of Public Prosecutions.
The defence counsel, O. Agbede, requested an adjournment to enable each defendant to file counter-affidavits in response to the prosecution’s application.
In his ruling, Chief Magistrate Musa Al-Yunus granted the defence lawyers’ requests but ordered that the defendants should still be remanded in police custody.
The case has been adjourned until April 27, 2023, for further hearing.
Olurunfemi’s brutal murder sparked outrage on social media with many Nigerians calling for an end to mob violence and a more effective justice system.
His family had since debunked reports that the 35 year old father of one was an internet fraudster.
In an interview with newsmen on Wednesday, April 12, Mojisola Olorunfemi, the mother of the deceased, said that contrary to the rumours, her son was an Uber driver.
According to her, the deceased Olurunfemi was never involved in any fraudulent activities.
She recounted how her son moved to Lagos after completing his education, where he registered as an Uber driver to make a living, adding that it was his father that bought him the vehicle he was using for the business.
You can reach out to me on Twitter via: vincent_ufuoma