A Grade ‘A’ Customary Court sitting in Mapo in Ibadan has ordered the remand of two brothers – Usman Wasiu, 20, and Toheeb Wasiu, 26, for allegedly insulting a police officer.
The brothers pleaded not guilty to the two counts of conspiracy and breach of peace filed against them.
The president of the court, S.M. Akintayo, admitted each of the defendants to bail in the sum of N200,000 with two reliable sureties in like sum.
Akintayo ordered that the sureties must show evidence of three years tax payment to the Oyo State government and must also possess a valid identity card each.
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She adjourned the case till 2 July for hearing.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Ayodele Ayeni, a police inspector, had informed the court that the defendants committed the crime on 13 May at about 12.30 a.m, at the entrance of Mapo Police Station, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State.
Shedding more light on the matter, Mr Ayeni said that the Wasiu brothers cursed and shouted abusive words on Insp Taiwo Ige and two other personnel.
According to the prosecutor, the siblings used the abusive utterances in order to incite the public against the police, thus causing breach of peace.
He noted that the offence contravened the provisions of sections 516 and 249 of the Criminal Code Cap. 38 vol. ii law of Oyo State 2000.
The case mirrors other instances where the police and the government have been criticised for needless arrests and prosecutions in Nigeria.
Lawyers and civil rights advocates have called for an end to criminalising freedom of expression as a tool for retaliation or asserting superiority in response to petty, cheeky remarks.
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Apart from running counter to democracy principles, detaining and prosecuting persons for such petty offences suggests a misallocation of resources that could be better used to address more serious criminal cases. Additionally, this practice worsens the ongoing issue of prison overcrowding.
Observers have also noted cases where charges and the laws under which they are brought do not match the minor acts of suspects, indicating desperation to prosecute for personal rather than public interests.
(NAN)
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