A federal high court sitting in Osogbo, Osun state, Thursday, ordered the remand of a member of the state transport management system, Oyeyemi Olalekan (aka Emir), in Ile-Ife correctional center.
The defendant was brought to the court for arraignment but his counsel, Edmund Biriomoni, challenged the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the case.
Biriomoni said, “We were served with an 11-count charge. We are challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the matter. We are challenging the jurisdiction of the court to take the plea of the defendant on counts four to eight which bother on murder.
“We filed a preliminary objection to the first charge that has murder from number one to four and the prosecutor substituted the charge, taking the numbers we are challenging to four to eight.”
The prosecutor, Umar Alli, urged the court to withdraw a charge dated 16th October 2023 and substitute it with a charge dated 31st January 2024, contending that objection can only be raised after the plea had been taken.
After the withdrawal and substitution of the charge, counsel to the defendant also withdrew the preliminary objection to the first charge.
Justice Emmanuel Ayoola thereby ordered the remand of the defendant in Ile-Ife Correctional Centre and directed his counsel to file his objection to the new charge.
Justice Ayoola subsequently adjourned the case to March 5.
Olalekan was earlier declared wanted by the Osun Police Command, on 2nd July 2022 for alleged murder, cultism, and armed robbery, before he was later appointed as a member of the transport disciplinary committee on 9th January 2023 by governor Ademola Adeleke.
The defendant was arrested by the Anti-kidnapping unit of the police in Osogbo, on September 14, 2023, and whisked to the force headquarters, Abuja, where he was brought to the court for arraignment.
