A 38-year-old man, Adekunle Rotimi, was yesterday arraigned by the Osun State Police command before a Magistrate’s court, Osogbo, for attempting to kill a female police officer within the court premises.

The Police prosecutor, Anifowose Saheed, informed the court that the defendant attempted to kill one woman police officer, identified as Babatunde Omotayo when he wanted to escape from the court on February 18, 2025. He alleged that the defendant pinned the woman police officer inside a fish pond located after the court’s perimeter fence and wanted to strangulate her.

However, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge of attempted escape from court and attempted murder levelled against him. His defence counsel, Dauda Oyewale, pleaded with the court to grant him bail in a liberal term, saying the alleged offences were bailable in law.

But the prosecutor urged the court to decline the bail, contending that the defendant was standing trial on the day he attempted to run away, and granting him bail would jeopardise the prosecution.

According to Anifowose, the defendant was remanded for unlawful possession of firearms and he told the prison officer that he wanted to urinate when he made an effort to run away and he wanted to kill the woman police who followed him.

Oyewale implored the court to disregard the claim of the prosecutor that granting his client bail will jeopardise prosecution, arguing that his claims were mere opinion and speculation which had no place in law.

Magistrate Olusegun Ayilara thereby granted the defendant bail in the sum of N2 million with one surety in like sum, adding that the surety must be a landowner in the state. He subsequently adjourned to May 8, for hearing

The Guardian