Court remands 20 students in prison over alleged murder of lecturer

A Lokoja Chief Magistrates’ Court 1 has on Tuesday remanded 20 students of Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja in prison, over alleged rioting and murder of their lecturer, Mr Nathaniel Abimaje.

The Chief Magistrate, Mr Levi Animoku, gave the order when the accused persons were arraigned before him.

He said that the offence of culpable homicide with which they were charged carried death penalty under Section 221 of the Penal Code and was not bailable.

The Police Prosecutor, Mr Samuel Ikutanwa, told the court that the accused were armed with dangerous weapons.

He listed the weapons to include axe, guns and cutlasses.

He said, “on April 19, the accused incited some unidentified students of the institution to riot.

“They were protesting the setting up of a panel to look into the cases of examination malpractice.

“During the rampage, the accused allegedly beat and stabbed Abimaje severally and left him in a pool of his blood.

“The lecturer was rushed to the Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, but died before he could receive medical attention,” Ikutanwa said.

He urged the court to remand the accused in prison pending the conclusion of the investigations.



-- Punch