Mother, daughter, in court for allegedly beating up IKEDC officials
A housewife, Cecilia Osuji and her daughter, Vivian, have been arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court for allegedly beating up electricity company officials and damaging their ladder.
The police charged Osuij, 50, and Vivian, 28, student, residents of Alagbado, Lagos, with four counts of conspiracy, breach of peace, assault and damage. The Prosecution Counsel, ASP Ezekiel Ayorinde, told the court that the defendants and others at large, committed the offence on July 26 in Alagbado, Lagos. He said that the defendants conducted themselves in a manner likely to cause breach of peace, when they beat up Mr Damilare Babalola, Emmanuel Ajiboye and Lateef Erinfolami, while performing their official duties. Ayorinde said that the complainants were in Alagbado to disconnect power supply to the defendants over huge debt but they were obstructed. He alleged that the defendants beat up the complainants with pipes which caused them grievous hurt. Ayorinde also alleged that the defendants criminally damaged the official ladder, property of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC). The offence, he said, contravened the provisions of sections 168, 173, 350 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that section 173 stipulates three years imprisonment for assault while section 350 prescribes two years for damage. The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. Magistrate B.O Osunsanmi admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N200,000 each with two sureties each in like sum. Osunsanmi ordered that the sureties must be gainfully employed and must produce evidence of two years tax payment to the Lagos State Government. She adjourned the case until September 23 for mention.