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The Lagos State Police Command on Monday arraigned a 36-year-old herbalist simply identified as Mayowa Bamidele with two men, Oyedegun Adewale, 27 Jejelaye Olusola, 22 and a woman Kemi Azeez, 20 before a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for allegedly dismembering a mother of two.
Bamidele is charged with murder and misconduct with regards to corpses while Azeez, Adewale and Olusola are charged with concealing felony and stealing.
The herbalist’s plea was not taken but the three other defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Chief Magistrate, Peter Nwaka remanded Bamidele in Ikoyi correctional centre while the second to fourth defendants were granted bail in the sum of N200,000 with three sureties in like sum.
Nwaka ordered that the sureties be gainfully employed with evidence of tax payment to the Lagos State Government and have their addresses and offices verified by the court.
He held that the sureties must also show proof of employment and proof of their sources of income.
The judge adjourned the case until March 4 for legal advice from the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP).
Earlier, Police Prosecutor, SP Thomas Nurudeen told the court that the suspects committed the offence at 7.30pm on Dec. 16, 2021, at No. 17, Ijedodo road, Ijegun area of Lagos.
He said the deceased, went to Bamidele’s traditional home to receive treatment and that she had called her friend to transfer money to Bamidele’s bank account and that was the last time she was seen or heard from.
Nurudeen told the court that the deceased was declared missing for about a month.
”My Lord, the first defendant put the deceased in a cooking pot. The second to fourth defendants helped the first defendant bury the sack bags in the backyard of the house and the bedsheet in an uncompleted building,’ he said.
The deceased’s Tecno Camon phone was also discovered in their custody, he said.
The offence, he said, contravenes the provisions.of sections 222, 165, 98 and 280 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015. (Revised)