A delay in advice by the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions DPP on Monday, March 28, 2022, stalled proceedings in a murder case involving the Lagos Island Branch B Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Azeez Lawal (a.k.a Kunle Poly).
The case before a Yaba Chief Magistrate’s Court has been further adjourned until April 4.
The chairman, Azeez Lawal and one Adekanbi Wahab, 38, were on January 27 brought on a three-count of conspiracy to commit murder, murder and membership of secret cult.
The charge was read to the defendants but their pleas were not taken.
The alleged offences contravene Section 233 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, and Section 3 of the Anti-cultism Law of Lagos State, 2021.
On Monday, the Chief Magistrate, Linda Balogun, further adjourned the case for the DPP advice.
She directed a lawyer from the directorate, O. R. Saliu, to ensure the advice would be ready on the next adjourned date.
Saliu had told the court that the advice was not ready.
Counsel to the defendants, Adeshina Ogunlana, argued that the defendants had been in custody for more than 60 days.
He said that it violated their rights.
He said the DPP did not give any reason for the delay and a timeframe within which the advice would be ready.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the defendants were, on January 27, remanded for an initial period of 30 days.
They were on February 28 further remanded for another 30 days.
Balogun had initially remanded the defendants at the Police Zonal Monitoring Unit, Zone 2 Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos, pending further investigations.
She remanded them at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre on the last adjourned date.
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