Court remands vigilante member for allegedly killing colleague

A Magistrates’ Court in Ake, Ogun state on Friday ordered that a member of the Community Social Orientation and Safety Corps, otherwise known as ‘So Safe Corps’,  Akinwunmi Ismaeel, who allegedly shot his colleague to death be remanded in a correctional centre, pending legal advice.

The police charged Ismaeel with murder.

Magistrate I.M. Orekoya, who did not take the plea of Ismaeel, ordered the police to return the case file to the Ogun state director of public prosecution for legal advice.

Orekoya adjourned the case until May 4 for mention.

Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Agboh Boniface told the court that Ismaeel committed the offence on February 17 at about 4 pm in Akomoje area in Abeokuta.

Boniface said that Ismaeel shot Adesope Francis (45) with a single barrel gun, adding that the defendant and the deceased were members of ‘So- Safe Corps’ attached to the Akomoje area command office in Abeokuta.

He said that six suspects were brought to the station and while undergoing interrogating, one of the suspects attempted to escape resulting in Ismaeel shooting Francis while trying to scare the suspect who tried to escape.

The prosecutor noted that the offence contravenes the provisions of Section 319 of the Criminal Code of Ogun state, 2006.