Phone theft: Nine remanded in prison for ‘killing’ OAU student

Nine suspects have been arraigned and remanded in prison for allegedly beating Okoli Ahize, a student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), to death. 

Last month, a mob lynched the final-year student for alleged phone theft.

Ahize was later taken to the OAU Teaching Hospital in Ile-Ife where he was confirmed dead.

According to NAN, a magistrate court in Ile-Ife, Osun state, ordered the remand of the nine suspects on Friday.

Emmanuel Abdullahi, the police prosecutor, told the court that the defendants committed the offense within the university’s premises around 8:00 pm on April 10.

Abdullahi said the defendants used “sticks, stones, and iron rods to unlawfully beat Ahize to death.”

He identified them as Badiora Timilehin, 22; Adegoke Francis, 23; Atilade Adeniyi, 22; Adeyeni Ajibola, 22; Olayiwola Adewumi, 21; Adisa Olamilekan, 24; Igbinyemi Amos, 22; Osode Joshua, 23 and Philip Kayode, 24.

Abdullahi said that the defendants conspired among themselves to commit offenses to wit: murder.

According to the prosecutor, their offense contravened sections 319 and 324 of the 2022 criminal code laws of Osun state.

Kike Adebayo, the magistrate, asked the prosecutor to duplicate their case files to the office of the director of public prosecution (DPP) for legal advice.

Adebayo ordered that the defendants be remanded at Ile-Ife Nigerian Correctional Service.

The case was adjourned to June 9.

Falana Chambers had earlier requested details of the police investigation into the case.

“Furnish us with information about the investigation to pressurise authorities in Osun to prosecute the suspects who carried out the barbaric act so as to serve as a deterrent to other perpetrators of jungle justice,” the law firm wrote.