Court remands 3 cultists over alleged breach of public peace

An Osun Magistrates’ Court sitting in Ile-Ife on Thursday, remanded three suspected cultists: Adeoti Tosin, 29; Temitope Adeyemi, 26 and Adeola Oluwatobi, 27, over alleged breach of public peace.

The prosecutor, Insp. Sunday Osanyintuyi, had told the court that the accused committed the offence on March 23, 2018, around 07:20 p.m. at Oduduwa St., Ile-Ife in Osun.

He added that the accused’s breach of peace caused apprehension to members of the public by going on rampage.

According to him, the accused being members of a secret cult called “Eye Confraternity’’ were waging war on inhabitants of Iremo, Oduduwa and Oke-Ijan areas of Ile-Ife.

The prosecutor also alleged that the accused armed themselves with dangerous weapons and threatened members of the public.

He said that the accused robbed one Fajinmi Kehinde and dispossessed him of his Itel handset valued N30,000.

Osanyintuyi stated that the offence contravened Sections 62, 63, 80, 249 (d), 401 & 402 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Osun, 2002.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the five-count charge of conspiracy, breach of peace, cultism, threatening and robbery brought against them.

Counsel for the accused persons, Mr Ben Adirieje, applied for bail of his clients in the most liberal terms and promised that they would not jump bail but would produce reliable sureties.

Magistrate Olalekan Ijiyode refused the bail of the accused but asked their counsel to come with a written application.

Ijiyode, therefore, ordered the remand of the accused in prison, pending the consideration of their bail, saying this would serve as a deterrent to others.

He adjourned the case until June 13 for further hearing.