Lagos State official arraigned for alleged threat to life

An official of the Lagos State Government in the Ministry of Works, Mrs. Onoabhagbe Olatunbosun, has been arraigned before a Yaba Magistrate’s Court for allegedly threatening to eliminate one Mrs. Abiodun Olufunsho.

Olatunbosun, 42, was arraigned on six counts of threatening violence, willful damage and conduct likely to cause breach of the peace.

The incident was said to have happened at the Iponri area of Lagos.

The prosecutor, Cyril Ajiofor, said the offences were punishable under sections 409, 300, 348, 166 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria 2011 and sections 44, 4 of the Lagos State Tenancy Law, 2011.

He noted that the defendant could be jailed for 14 years if convicted.

The magistrate, Mrs. M.A Ladipo, subsequently called the Investigating Police Officer to give the facts of the case.

The IPO, who did not identify himself, said, “The defendant, Olatunbosun, has a shop she put up for rent at Iponri and she asked her agent, one Niyi, to look for someone who needed it.

“Niyi got Olufunsho, and together they went to see Olatunbosun in her office at Ojodu Berger, Lagos, where they negotiated.

“She paid the sum of N500, 000 for two years on June 6, 2013. N50, 000 was demanded for agreement; she was able to pay N20, 000 right there and promised to pay the rest later.

“The key was handed over to the complainant after the payment and she went to the shop.”

After Olufunsho had spent over N1m in renovating the shop in preparation for use, the defendant was said to have told the complainant that she was no longer giving out the shop.

The police stated that the defendant damaged some of the complainant’s property, locked up the shop and threatened to “eliminate” Olatunbosun if she did not leave.

However, the defendant said she did not give the defendant any key.

“She did not even see the shop before paying for it. She just went there and without any authorisation, broke into it and damaged some of my property that I had there,” she said.

The magistrate in her ruling wondered how the complainant could have paid for the shop without seeing it, and queried the defendant for locking up the shop.

Ladipo said, “You collected N520,000 in June, 2013 and after she had spent a lot of money to renovate, you said you want to return her rent, where is that done? You even collected tenancy fee, are you a lawyer? And why will you issue receipt for two years? You issued receipt for two years and still went ahead to lock up her shop.”

Ladipo admitted her to bail in the sum of N200, 000 with two sureties each in like sum.

The matter was adjourned till January 8, 2014.

Copyright PUNCH.