Court charges OPC memberswith murder, arson

…Police has twisted the narratives —OPC

By Dapo Akinrefon, with agency reports

AN Iyaganku Chief Magistrate’s Court, sitting in Ibadan, yesterday, charged three members of the Oodua People’s Congress, OPC, with three counts of conspiracy, murder and arson, and ordered them to be remanded in a correctional centre.

The OPC members are Messrs Awodele Adedigba, Dauda Kazeem and Hassan Ramon.

The trio had arrested an alleged notorious kidnap kingpin, Iskilu Wakili, and some of his fighters at the Ibarapa area of Oyo.

The state police command had subsequently arrested and detained them.

The prosecuting counsel, Opeyemi Olagunju, told the court that the suspects caused the death of a 45-year-old woman on March 7 at Kajola village, Ayete.

He said they also razed the house of Wakili, causing damage of N5 million.

The Chief Magistrate, Olaide Hamzat, ordered that they be remanded in Abolongo Correctional Facility in Oyo town.

Hamzat ordered the police to return the case file to the office of the Oyo State Directorate of Public Prosecution, DPP.

He adjourned the matter till April 21 for mention.

Police have twisted the narratives —OPC

But, the OPC, which condemned the murder and arson charges raised against three of its members, accused the Police of changing the narratives.

Publicity Secretary of the OPC, Mr. Yinka Oguntimehin, said it was shocking for the police to accuse the three members of murder and arson, saying the group will seek justice against the unjust arrest, arraignment and charges of arson and murder for the trio.

Oguntimehin said: “It is most unfortunate that the police twisted the narratives and accused our members of arson and murder. The police decision against our members was nothing but a misplaced one and it was discouraging.

“People tend to be discouraged most times when things like these happened because there are no way organisations like ours that have the capacity to assist the police in ensuring effective security of people…