A Magistrates Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo state capital, has sentenced a bus driver, his conductor and 15 passengers, suspected to be terrorists to five years in prison for conspiracy and illegal possession of firearms.
The Magistrate, Damilola Sekoni convicted the defendants after they were found guilty of two out of the three counts charge levelled against them.
The Magistrate said, “I am satisfied with circumstantial evidence given, in the instances of the avalanche of evidence before me, all defendants were guilty of the first charge, the 11th and 13th defendants who are the driver and his conductor, were guilty of the second charge while all the defendants are acquitted of the third count.”
He said the action of the defendants is unacceptable in society and the judgment would serve as a deterrent to those who would want to indulge in such acts.
The convicts which include, Abubakar Aliu and Aruna Tukur, the driver and his conductor respectively, were also sentenced to four-year imprisonment after being found guilty of the second charge of illegal possession of firearms
Suliaman, Musa Bala, Saliu Saidu, Musur Adamu, Abduhlai Ibrahim, Imarana Yusuf Abdulahi Mustafa and Mubarak Tsalhs, while the sentences are to run concurrently without an option of fine.
The defendants were arrested and dragged to court by the men of the Western Nigeria Security Outfit, Amotekun on three counts of conspiracy, illegal possession of firearms and wandering in public places.
Prosecuting counsel, Barrister Olusegun Akeredolu, told the court that the defendants were arrested on November 4, 2021, along Akure/ Ondo expressway by the men of the Amoteken Corps after the buses they were travelling with attempted to overrun the security agents and sped off.
Akeredolu said the defendants conspired to commit a felony and conspired with the driver not to wait for the officers of the law when they were asked to stop.
The prosecutor added that the defendants were in possession of firearms (guns and daggers) without a valid license
