An Akure Chief Magistrates’ Court has remanded two officials of the State Security Service (SSS) in prison custody for armed robbery.
The officials - Owolabi Kolawole (25) and Okunola Kayode (28) - were arraigned before Chief Magistrate Igbekele Akinyele on a two-count charge of conspiracy and armed robbery.
They were said to have committed the offence with others at large on June 14, 2012 at about 11.30 a.m. at UBA on Owo/Ado Road, Akure. The police accused the two SSS operatives of robbing a car dealer, Peter Charles Denis of his N480,000.
The offence, the police said, was contrary to and punishable under Section 402 (1) of the Criminal Code cap 30 Vol. II laws of Ondo State, 1978.
Although the accused persons pleade not guilty, one of them, Kolawole claimed that they went to arrest the complainant, Denis, and he gave them N100,000 so that they won’t take him to their office.
However, Chief Magistrate Akinyele told them that even if their claim was true, it amounted to bribe-taking in legal parlance.
On his part, the Police prosecutor, ASP Pelumi Adejuwon, informed the court that he had four witnesses and urged the court to grant an adjournment to enable him to assemble them.
Chief magistrate Akinyele also denied them bail, saying as SSS officers they were not supposed to take bribe. He thus remanded them in prison custody and adjourned the matter to July 20 for hearing.
