Rafiu Olohunwa

DPP/Police rift stalls trial of Lagos NURTW chiefs .

The trial of Rafiu Olorunwa, Lagos State Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), was on Wednesday stalled following a disagreement between the Director of Public Prosecutions and the police.
The DPP and the police were at loggerheads over who should prosecute the matter being tried by Magistrate A.O. Isaac of Ikeja Magistracy.
Olorunwa was arraigned on May 17 with two other principal officers of the union, Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, and Sunday Ojomo.
Also arraigned were Korede Owolabi, Babatunde Akeem, Ayo Akintayo, Lanire Salawu, Akeem Babatunde and Akinola Falore.
Also facing prosecution are Bolaji Ibrahim, Kazeem Gomma and Afis Sule.
They were arraigned on an eight-count charge of unlawful assembly, possession of firearms and offensive weapons, obstruction, malicious damage and conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace.
At the resumed hearing of the case, the DPP, who was represented by Bukola Akanni, informed the court that the state had taken over the matter.
She told the court that after the arraignment, Magistrate Idowu Olatokun had ruled that the police should hands off the case.
She said Section 211 (b) of the 1999 Constitution empowered the attorney-general (AG) to take over any criminal matter at any time, adding that she had written to the police to hand over the duplicate file.
Akanni also told the court that the name of the sixth accused (Akintayo) had been struck out from the list of the accused because of his illness.
She asked for an adjournment to enable her to retrieve the duplicate file from the police which would be reviewed to ascertain whether a prima facie case was established against the accused.
But the police lawyer, Chukwu Agwu, while recognising the authority of the AG, questioned the rationale behind the dropping of charges against Akintayo.
Olorunwa, Akinsanya and Ojomo had been granted bail by the court while others are still being remanded in prison custody.
The prosecution had alleged that the accused on May 6 between 11 a.m. and 9.30 p.m. at NURTW secretariats in Abule-Egba, Bourdillion St., Ikoyi and Oshodi, shot sporadically, damaging property belonging to members of the public and also disturbing the public peace.
The offences, according to the prosecution, contravene Sections 70, 71, 80, 249 (d), 356 (2) and 516 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State.
The case has been adjourned to Sept. 28 for continuation of the trial.