A 67-year-old grand-mother arrested penultimate Friday for allegedly attempting to plant objects suspected to be charms in her daughter in-law’s newly completed apartment, has been arraigned before an Ebute-Metta Chief Magistrate’s court.
The grandma, Alhaja Rufiatu Okiki, was arraigned on a three-count charge of alleged conspiracy and attempt to bury substances suspected to be charms in the premises of a newly completed apartment belonging to her daughter-in-law (names withheld).
The police prosecutor, Nath Abioye, who arraigned her before Chief Magistrate M.O Akinsanya, added that the suspect was not in a good state of health and would require urgent medical attention.
The Presiding Magistrate, Akinsanya, thereafter granted the suspect bail, and charged the police to ensure that she was given the best medical attention in a government hospital.
No new date was given for the grandmother to be brought back to court, as the magistrate told the police prosecutor to keep him abreast of the suspect’s state of health, adding, “When she is better and healthy enough to stand trial, I shall give you the new date for her to appear again in court.”
Police operatives at the Federal Special Anti-robbery Squad, Adeniji Adele, Central Lagos, had arrested a woman allegedly found with substances suspected to be charms.
The Police had said that the charm was meant to be planted in her daughter-in-law’s newly completed apartment.
A police source gave the suspect’s name as Alhaja Rufiatu Okiki of 26 Ijoko Road, Sango Ota, Ogun State. It was also gathered that the grandmother had been a pain in the neck of her son’s wife since the couple got married some 20 years ago.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police, FEDSARS, Ibrahim Kadjore, in a chat with our correspondent had confirmed the arrest of Madam Okiki, adding that her conduct was criminal.
“She broke into somebody’s compound at night. Even if the owner of the compound is your son’s wife, you sneaked into the fenced compound in the middle of the night, half naked, with a calabash on your head and cutlass, draped in red cloth and you were caught by night guards in the area. Yet, you are saying your mission was not criminal and demonic,” Kadjore said.
The Police boss added that members of the local vigilante group in charge of the area, caught the suspect, noting that the suspect and her daughter-in-law had not been in good terms for some years before the incident.
Investigation by our correspondent further revealed that the suspect, who was arrested at her shop, along Command Road, Abule Egba, Lagos, last Thursday, had been shopping for a second wife for her son, a medical doctor.
