LAGOS – Twenty five men, including two teenagers, were on Friday charged before an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for allegedly setting the railway track at Alagbado, Ogun, ablaze.
The accused are Oladejo Mutiu, 22; Oluwole Ogunwole, 45; Femi Akinola, 36; Lukman Oseni, 25; Kehinde Owolabi, 37; Peter Adigun, 34; Fedrick Nduka, 30, Ebuka Ogbona, 30 and Yahaya Hazika,17.
Others include: Ahmed Jimoh, 32; Sunday Peter,15;Shared Balogun, 30; Felix Asemota, 30; Segun Samson, 21; Tosin Samson, 35; Anchor Uche, 20;Obineri Ebuka, 26; and Samuel Oba, 20.
The rest are Marcel Nwagbara, 42; Fidelis Iteshi, 26; Adebayo Waheed, 30; Musa Kalam, 23; Promise Nwaoba, 25; Lucky Akpanpa, 30, Idris Abidemi, 21, Sanya Oyedike, 25 and Alis Fatoku,19.
They are facing three-count charge of unlawful assembly, setting fire and stealing.
The prosecutor, Insp Moses Uademevbo, said the crime was committed on June 10 at about 6:50 a.m. at the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) station at Alagbado, Ogun.
He said the accused intentionally obstructed the railway track by seating fire on it, a situation which attracted fare increment by the NRC management.
“The fare for the economic class to Oshodi was increased from N150 to N230 while the executive class went from N500 to N250.
“Some of the passengers protested against the hike in the fares of the train which led to vandalism.
“The accused stole N359,000 and `cash tank’ worth N199,000.
“The accused unlawfully assembled and acted in a disorderly manner and disturbed the peace of the community’’, Uademevbo said.
He noted that the offences contravened sections 45, 285,339, 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty.
The Magistrate, Mr Y.B. Badejo-Okusanya, granted the accused bail in the sum of N100,000 each with two sureties each in like sum.
The surety, according to him, must show evidence of three years tax payment to the Lagos State Government and evidence of gainful employment and adjourned the case till July 15 for further hearing.(NAN)
