An Oyo State High Court, Ring Road, Ibadan, has admitted the arms and ammunition found at the hotel of Mukaila Lamidi, popularly known as Auxiliary, as evidence against him.
Shortly before adjourning the case till March 10 for further hearing, Justice Bayo Taiwo ordered the arms to be kept in police custody and brought to court when needed.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Lamidi, a former Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee of Oyo State Park Management System (PMS), is currently facing a 17-count charge trial.
The charges border on armed robbery, murder, attempted murder, and possession of firearms – one AK-47 assault rifle and two SMG rifles with magazines, to which he pleaded not guilty.
At the resumption of hearing on Thursday, the court also approved the defendant’s statement, presented by the prosecuting counsel, Olatunji Adeoye, as exhibit.
Also admitted to be shown in court were four Compact Disks (CDs) of how the police obtained the defendant’s statement.
The prosecutor, representing the state, called and led in evidence the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), Insp Felix Adegoke.
Adegoke, as a prosecuting witness, said that on May 29, 2023, at about 3.45 p.m., there was a distress call from the Governor’s House at Ikolaba, which they responded to.
“At about 8.00 pm, there was an intelligent report that Mukaila Lamidi, in a car with PMS logo, had converged at Diamond Hotel, Alakia, Ibadan, making statement that they were going to unleash terror on the members of the public, brandishing sophisticated weapons.
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“The Commissioner of Police (CP) gave us an order, and we moved to Diamond Hotel.
“The defendant and his hoodlums attacked the police, but we succeeded in arresting nine of his boys with weapons; Lamidi was later arrested,” said the prosecuting witness.
Adegoke listed an AK-47, four pieces of AK-47 magazines, one Barreta Pistol, one English Pistol, and 15 pieces of Pump Action Guns as some of the items recovered from Lamidi’s hotel.
Others, he said, include three international passports, belonging to one Oyebamiji Saheed Abiola, pistol brief pocket, live cartridge belt, 340 pieces of machetes and one locally made charm jacket.
One horsetail and crown, bearing Aare Ajagunnla of Yorubaland, amongst others, were also recovered at Lamidi’s hotel.
Objecting during the cross-examination, the defence counsel, Olalekan Ojo, said the police did not obtain a Search Warrant or any such document before entering the defendant’s hotel.
In his counter submission, Adeoye argues that Section 14 of the Police Act allows the police to search a house without a warrant.
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