Peace Corps members, pupil remanded in prison over school riot

Femi Makinde, Osogbo
There was weeping and wailing on the premises the Osun State Judiciary in Osogbo on Thursday as the Magistrate, Mrs. Falilat Sodamade, ordered that two members of Nigeria Peace Corps, Nike Akinwande and Olawale Akande; and a student of Government Technical College, Osogbo, Abiodun Olorunfemi, be remanded at Ilesa Prison over the riot which erupted at the college and Osogbo High School the previous day.

The mother and relatives of the female member of the NPC burst into tears when the police ordered the accused persons out of the courtroom for their journey to Ilesa Prison, where they will be remanded pending the formal application for their bail.
The two volunteers of the NPC and the student were arraigned on six counts of intent to extort money from students, assault, conspiracy, and malicious damage among other offences.
The prosecutor told the court that the three accused persons and others at large committed offences contravening the law and punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume II, Laws of Osun State, Nigeria, 2003.

The charge sheet read in part, “That Abiodun Olorunfemi Akinwande Olanike and Akande Olawale and others still at large on 22nd, February 2017 at about 2:30 pm at Technical School Osogbo in Osogbo Magisterial district did conspire together to commit an offence to wit assault and harm thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 516 of the Criminal Code Cap 34 Vol. II laws of Osun-State of Nigeria, 2003

“That you Abiodun Olorunfemi and others still at large on same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial district did assault one Oladele Anthony Olawale and Nurudeen Akanfe and others by beaten them with sticks, broken bottle and some others weapons to extent they sustained injury on their head and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 355 of the criminal code cap 34 Vol. II laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2003.

“That you Abiodun Olorunfemi and others still at large on the same date, time and place did maliciously damage the following items (1) Osogbo High School fence valued yet unknown (2) Bajaj motorcycle with reg No: SGB 613 QE property of one Olarinoye Adeyemi valued yet unknown (3) windscreen and side mirror of Subaru Legacy 1999 model with Reg No: KJA 20 AT property of one Amos Oyewale Abioye valued N30,500 (4) Louvers glass and front door of the house of one Bello Rasheed valued N105,000 and windscreen of V.6 Ford bus with reg No LND 329 DC property of one Omongiaho Cletus Osas value yet unknown and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 451 of the criminal code cap 34. Vol. II laws of Osun-State Nigeria 2003.

“Akinwade Olanike and Akande Olawale on the same day did intend to extort money from Technical Students and thereby committed an offence contrary and punishable under section 408 of the criminal code cap 34 vol laws of Osun-State Nigeria, 2003.”
Counsel for the peace corps and the student, Adeyinka Dada and Okobe Najite respectively prayed the court to admit their clients to bail but the prosecutor opposed the application.
The magistrate declined the bail application and ordered that the accused persons be remanded in Ilesa Prison and adjourned the case to April 10 for mention.
The Commandant of the NPC, Mr Paul Ayinde, told journalists on the court premises that he was shocked that the police arraigned members of the peace corps, who were keeping peace in school like hoodlums.

He said, “Our lawyers will do the necessary things as directed by the court to secure the bail of the NPC volunteers. Our men were not indicted by anyone and in fact, the school authority exonerated them in the crisis. Therefore, their arraignment came to us as a rude shock.
“The NPC volunteers should not have been painted as criminals in this situation as they have not done anything wrong. There are NPC volunteers in all the schools all over the state and the parents and teachers could testify to the good work that we are doing.”