A High Court in Benin City has ordered the remand of Ile Itua, 25, and Kingsley Micheal, 36, at the Oko Correctional Centre in connection with the alleged killing of a 21-month-old child. The two men were arraigned on Wednesday and charged with murder.
The prosecution, led by Polycap Odion, alleged that the incident occurred on March 12th in Benin City. According to Odion, the defendants unlawfully caused the death of the child using a vehicle and further attempted to kill two other individuals. He stated that the alleged offences are in violation of Sections 239 (a)(b), 243(a) and 248 of the Criminal Law of Edo State, 2022.
Odion requested the court to remand the defendants pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Defense counsel, Mr. Paul Badaki, argued for the bail of his clients, characterizing the incident as an accident rather than a deliberate act of murder. “This case is purely an accident, and not murder,” Badaki asserted. He urged the court to consider the report submitted by the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) to ascertain the true nature of the event.
ASP Regina Obayuwana, the IPO, reported that the defendants’ vehicle was en route from Agbor Park to Ring Road when it was intercepted by a police Public Safety Response Team. “The defendants dragged the vehicle steering with the police,” she stated in her report, adding, “the vehicle veered off the road in the process and killed the little girl.”
Justice Williams Aziegbemhin, presiding over the case, instructed the defense counsel to submit a formal bail application. He stated that the details within the bail application would assist the court in determining whether the incident constituted an accident or a murder. “The facts in the bail application would enable the court to determine whether the case was purely an accident or murder,” Justice Aziegbemhin stated.
The court ordered the remand of Itua and Micheal at the Oko Correctional Centre. The case has been adjourned until April 1, 2025, for further hearing.
