Azeez Folorunso/
Deposed Bale of Shangisha, Chief Mutiu Michael Ogundare, in video evidence played in a Lagos High Court today owned up to the alleged crime of self-kidnapping being prosecuted by Lagos State government.
Led in evidence-in-chief by Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution, Titilayo Shitta-Bey, a second prosecution witness, Jayeola Emmanuel, played the video where Ogundare said he initiated and executed the alleged kidnapping.
He added that he provided logistics for the success of the crime for pecuniary reasons.
“Everything about this offence of kidnapping was my personal idea. I planned everything including recruitment of people who participated in it,” Ogundare said.
The witness, an operative of the Department of State Service, said he got the video as a Technical Officer of the Investigation Team.
Jayeola further said defendants confessed to kidnapping, as he told the court how he obtained call logs of the defendants from MTN and Airtel, wherein the first defendant exchanged calls with his family, even after claiming he was kidnapped.
In the video evidence dated 2017/07/12, the first defendant made a voluntary confession that he orchestrated the kidnap.
Court proceedings, however, was interrupted by a power failure, forcing the Justice Hakeem Oshodi to adjourn till March 11, 2019. They had earlier pleaded guilty to a three-count charge of breach of public peace and fake kidnapping.
His wife, Bolanle and his brother, Mohammed Opeyemi Babatunde have perfected the tough bail conditions imposed on them by Ogba Chief Magistrate Court and have now left the confines of the Kirikiri Prison where they were held for months.
They were arraigned before Ogba Magistrate Court wherein each defendant was granted bail in the sum of N2 million and two sureties in like sum. The sureties must include a traditional ruler, person with registered property in Lagos and must be a taxpayer and a Grade Level 17 officer in the state public service.
The Baale, Chief Ogundare, was arraigned alongside his wife, Abolanle and one Mohammed Opeyemi Babatunde before Magistrate T. Akanni on three count charge for allegedly faking his kidnap and breach of public peace.
In count one, Chief Ogundare allegedly on July 5, 2017 “put himself forward to be kidnapped for the purpose of causing a
Count two stated that Mohammed and Abolanle on same day allegedly “did aid, counsel, abet and procure Mutiu Micheal Yusuf Ogundare to fake his kidnap” contrary to Section 7(1) and (2) of the Kidnapping Prohibition 2017, No. C17, Law of Lagos State.
The three defendants in the third count allegedly took part in the offence of fake kidnap contrary to Section 16(1)(a-d) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, CH. 17, Vol. 3, Laws of Lagos State 2015.
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