The police in Edo State have arraigned the Majority Leader of the Edo State House of Assembly, Mr. Philip Shaibu, another lawmaker, Mr. Sunday Aghedo, and three others before an Oredo Magistrate court in Benin over the attack on a member of the state Assembly, Mr. Abdulrazak Momoh, at the legislative quartres.
Momoh was on Tuesday night attacked by suspected thugs and allegedly beaten to a coma before he was rushed to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital.
Shaibu and Aghedo, representing Etsako West II and Ovia South-West constituencies respectively, and the other defendants were arraigned on a two counts of felony and assault.
The charge read in part, “That you, Philip Shaibu, ‘m,’ Sunday Aghedo, ‘m,’ Eboise Emmanuel, ‘m,’ Promise Ogiso, ‘m’, and Ernest Arasomwan, ‘m’, and other now at large on the 7th day of October, 2014 at Edo State Legislators Quartres, Benin City in Oredo Magisterial District, did conspire amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit: assault occasioning harm and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 516 of the Criminal Code Cap 48, vol. II Laws of the defunct Bendel State of Nigeria 1976, now applicable in Edo State.”
The defendants were also accused of allegedly “hitting him with a rod on his head, which cause him harm” and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 355 of the Criminal Code Cap 48, vol. II laws of the defunct Bendel State of Nigeria 1976, now in application in Edo State.
The counsel for the defendants, Joe Odibeli, submitted an oral application for their bail.
He stated that the offence was bailable and assured the court that the accused persons would not jump bail if granted.
But the prosecution counsel, K. A. Dika, who did not oppose the bail application, urged the court to consider the severity of the offence.
*PUNCH
