The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed the death of seven persons in a road accident that occurred on Ibadan-Iseyin Road, Oyo State, on Thursday.

The Public Relations Officer, FRSC, Oyo Sector Command, Mr Mayowa Odewo, said in a statement that the deceased were five male adults, one female adult and one female child.

Odewo said that 15 people also sustained varying degrees of injuries out of the 22 people involved in the crash.

He attributed the accident, involving a Nissan Urvan commercial bus, with registration number: SEY 254 ZY and a Mazda commercial bus, with registration number LGB 343 XA, to speed violations and fatigue.

Odewo stated that the 13 injured victims, including three male adults, nine female adults and one female child, had been taken to a nearby hospital for medical attention.

He said that four of the seven corpses of the victims had been claimed by their families, while the remaining three had been deposited at a morgue.

“The police from Motor Traffic Division (MTD) Police Division, Moniya, Ibadan, have taken possession of the two crashed vehicles, including bags and other valuables recovered from the scene,” he said.

The FRSC spokesperson noted that no victim was saved by seat belt or other defensive gadgets.

He urged motorists to always obey traffic rules and regulations as well as adhere to all traffic cautions on the road to prevent avoidable crashes.

(NAN)

An Iyaganku Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, has ordered the remand of the former chairman of Park Management System in the state, Mukaila Lamidi, also known as Auxiliary. He was remanded at the Agodi Correctional Centre for alleged murder.

Chief Magistrate Olabisi Ogunkanmi ordered the remand of Lamidi on Thursday due to a lack of jurisdiction.

Recall that the suspect had earlier been paraded by the Oyo State Police Command on Thursday morning.

The suspect had earlier been declared wanted by the police before he was arrested a few days ago by men of the Department of State Service, DSS.

Ogunkanmi, while speaking, said the remand was pending the issuance of legal advice from the state Director of Public Prosecution.

She, thereafter, adjourned the matter till July 11, for mention.

Lamidi, who was represented by Tope Olayinka, was charged with a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, causing death and stealing.

The Officer-in-Charge of the Legal Department of the Police Command, CSP Funke Fawole, told the court that Lamidi and others, now at large, allegedly conspired to commit the offences.

The Fawole further said that the offences were committed by the suspect and others who are still at large at Baba-Onilu Shopping Complex, Iwo Road, Ibadan.

She said the offence contravened Sections 383 and 316.

She maintained that the offences are punishable under Sections 319, l1l, 390 (9), 324 and 516 of the Criminal Code Laws of Oyo State 2000.

Fawole said: “On June 16, 2021, at about 3:30 pm, Lamidi and others now at large allegedly caused the death of one Azeez Rahman Abiodun, 36, by stabbing him with a knife in the chest.

“On June 16, 2021, the defendant and others allegedly conspired and stole assorted phones valued at N150 million, property of Azeez Hammed Adebayo.”

A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, dismissed a motion filed by Prof. Cyril Ndifon challenging the qualification of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC’s lawyer, Osuobeni Akponimisingha to practice.

Justice James Omotosho, in a ruling, held that the application and counter affidavit filed by parties in the controversy over the legal qualifications of Akponimisingha and defence counsel, Joe Agi, SAN, was not for the court to determine.

According to Justice Omotosho, the Legal Practitioners’ Privilege Committee is the appropriate body to determine whether a lawyer is on its roll call.

“it is clear that the committee can investigate such allegations upon a petition by any of the parties,” the judge said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ndifon, the suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar (UNICAL), and his co-defendant, Sunny Anyanwu, had alleged that Akponimisingha was not qualified to practice as a lawyer.

The duo, through their lawyer, Mr Agi, insisted that Akponimisingha’s name was allegedly not on the roll of Legal Practitioners in Nigeria pursuant to Section 2 of the Legal Practitioners Act.

They argued that the four-count amended charge preferred against them by ICPC was incompetent as a result of the disputed identity of the anti-graft agency’s lawyer.

They said the development had robbed the court of its jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

They, therefore, prayed the court to quash the charge against them.

Akponimisingha, in his counter affidavit dated March 20, accused the suspended dean and his legal team of being jealous of his academic qualifications.

The lawyer, who attached his Nigerian Bar Association NBA’s Practicing License document dated 2016 with the counter affidavit, said he graduated from law school.

He said contrary to the defence argument, the appellation “Dr” added to his name was a result of an additional academic qualification acquired by him after he had been called to the Bar as a legal practitioner.

He equally alleged that the names of the lead counsel to the defendants, Joe Agi, SAN and other senior advocates appearing with him in the criminal case, were not on the roll of Legal Practitioners in Nigeria with the appendage of “SAN.”

He argued that the fact that the appellation “Dr” was added to his name did not make the amended charge liable to be struck out.

Akponimisingha said he was duly called to the Nigerian Bar and had been licensed to practice law in the country.

“That I know as a fact that justices presiding over cases in courts in Nigeria were called to the Bar only with their given names without the appellation ‘Hon. Justice.’

“Therefore, the appellation ‘Hon. Justice’ added to their names by reason of their appointment as judges does not render their judgments invalid because their names do not appear on the roll call of Legal Practitioners as ‘Hon. Justices.’

“The name Joe Odey Agi, SAN is not on the roll of Legal Practitioners in Nigeria. What exists on the roll is Agi Joseph Odey, year of call, 1985,” he said.(NAN)