An Ile-Ife Magistrate’s court in Osun state, on Tuesday, remanded a 32-year-old man, Adeleke Adeyemo in prison custody for allegedly breaking the skull of a man identified as Timothy Olafare during a brawl.
Police Prosecutor, Inspector Emmanuel Abdullahi, told the court that the accused committed the offence on July 27, 2016, around 2:30 pm at Gbodo area in Ile-Ife.
According to the prosecution, the accused conspired with others now at large to attack Olafare with broken bottles and stones.
Abdullahi further informed the court that the victim sustained serious injuries on his forehead, back skull and other parts of his body.
He said Olafare had been lying unconscious at an undisclosed hospital ever since the incident happened.
The police prosecutor then argued that the offence allegedly committed by Adeyemo was contrary to and punishable under Sections 355 and 516 of the Criminal Code Cap 34 Vol 11 Laws of Osun, 2003.
Adeyemo, however, pleaded not guilty to three-count charge bearing on conspiracy, assault and occasional harm leveled against him by the police.
Defence Counsel, Modupe Olufemi, applied for bail of her client, urging the court not to make the conditions stringent.
Olufemi promised that the accused would not abuse the bail if granted, adding that there were reliable sureties to stand for him.
But the prosecutor opposed the oral bail application of the accused person on the ground that Adeyemo and one other accomplice in the alleged crime had escaped before the accused was later re-arrested.
According to the prosecution, granting Adeyemo bail would jeopardise police investigation and efforts to re-arrest others currently at large.
He also prayed the court to refuse the accused bail, maintaining that the victim was still being hospitalized.
The presiding judge, Magistrate Iyabo Salami, while ruling on the bail application, refused the accused bail and ordered that Adeyemo be remanded in Ile-Ife prison custody.
The magistrate, however, asked the defence counsel to approach the court with a written application for the accused bail.
Salami adjourned the case to August 18 for mention.
