Court sends Osun secondary school student to prison over gun ownership

One Babatunde Olayera, a secondary school student, has been remanded for alleged unlawful possession of a gun.

An Ile-Ife Magistrates’ Court in Osun ordered the remand the 20-year-old at a police station on Thursday.

He was arraigned on a two-count charge of conspiracy and unlawful possession of firearms.

Magistrate O. B. Adediwura did not take the plea of the suspect on count two, for lack of jurisdiction to try a case of a suspect alleged to be in possession of a firearm.

Adediwura directed that the case file be duplicated and sent to the office of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPPs) for legal advice.

She, therefore, ordered that the suspect be remanded at “A” Division Police Station, in Moore, Ile-Ife, pending legal advice.

The case was adjourned until December 15, for mention.

Earlier, the Police Prosecutor, Inspector Adesina Elijah, had told the court that Olayera and others now at large, committed the offence on November 7 at 12:00 a.m. in Lagere Area, Ile-Ife.

Elijah said that the suspect conspired with others at large, to commit felony to wit: unlawful possession of firearm.

He added that Olayera unlawfully had in his possession one locally-made cut-to-size single barrel gun.

The prosecutor said that the offences were contrary to Section 4 and punishable under Sections 27(i)(b)(i) of the Firearms Act Cap F.28, Laws of Federation, 2004 and 516 of the Criminal Laws of Osun State, 2002.