Court remands 4 over alleged arson, murder

An Ebute Meta Magistrates’ Court in Lagos State on Tuesday remanded four men at the Ikoyi Prison over alleged involvement in arson and murder.

The accused – Bashir Hammed, 20; Nura Idris, 28; Dini Mohammed, 25; and Ismaila Abdullahi, 25, are facing a seven-count charge.

The Magistrate, Mrs A.S. Okubule, did not take the plea of the accused.

Okubule directed the prosecution to forward the case file to the state Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for advice.

The magistrate adjourned the case until Nov. 10 for mention.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp. Chinalu Uwadione, told the court that the accused committed the offences on Sept. 15 at Okokomaiko, a Lagos suburb.

He said that the accused set ablaze a building belonging to Chief Seriki’’ of the Hausa community in Okokomaiko.

Uwadione said that the accused also slit the throat of one Mr Hamza Liman Mairama and gunned down 50-year-old Mr Garba Halili.

He told the court that the accused committed the offences following a disagreement between them and the deceased.

Our correspondent reports that the offences contravene Sections 168, 232, 233, 341(a) and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

Murder attracts death penalty.