A herbalist, two men and a woman were on Monday arraigned before a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos State for allegedly dismembering a mother of two.
The police arraigned Mayowa Bamidele, 36, Kemi Azeez, 20, Oyedegun Adewale, 27, and Jejelaye Olusola, 22.
Police Prosecutor, SP Thomas Nurudeen told the court that the suspects committed the offence at 7.30pm on Dec. 16, 2021, at 17 Ijedodo road, Ijegun area of Lagos.
Bamidele is charged with murder and misconduct with regards to the corpse while Azeez, Adewale and Olusola are charged with concealing felony and stealing, DAILY POST reports.
The Judge did not take Bamidele’s plea but the three other defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
NAN reports that the Chief Magistrate, Mr Peter Nwaka remanded Bamidele in Ikoyi correctional centre while the second to fourth defendants were granted bail in the sum of N200,000 with three sureties in like sum.
He ordered that the sureties be gainfully employed with evidence of tax payment to the Lagos State Government and have their addresses and offices verified by the court.
He maintained that the sureties must also show proof of employment and proof of their sources of income.
Nwaka adjourned the case until March 4 for legal advice from the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecution.
He said the deceased went to Bamidele’s traditional home to receive treatment and that she had called her friend to transfer money to Bamidele’s bank account and that was the last time she was seen or heard from.
Nurudeen told the court that the deceased was declared missing for a month.
He said; ”My Lord, the first defendant put the deceased in a cooking pot. The second to fourth defendants helped the first defendant bury the sack bags in the backyard of the house and the bedsheet in an uncompleted building.”
He added that the deceased’s Tecno Camon phone was recovered from their custody.
The offence, he said, contravenes the provisions of sections 222, 165, 98 and 280 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015.
