Leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and members in Osun state have stormed a Magistrate Court sitting in Ede, Ede North local government area of the state to give support and solidarity to their colleague.
A teacher with CAC Government School, Talafia, Ede, Mrs Inaolaji Adekilekun was allegedly beaten by one Adeojo Sadiq and his gang on January 24, 2019.
The 20 year-old Sadiq, who is a native of Ede, had earlier been charged for the offence and re-arraigned on three fresh charges bothering on disruption of public peace, conspiracy and assault.
It would be recalled that the accused was earlier charged for conspiring with his accomplices, who are currently at large, to beat the teacher that day in the morning in her school premises.
However, when the charge was read to him, he pleaded not guilty to all the allegations against him.
The accused person had earlier been arraigned in January on three-count charges, to which he pleaded guilty and was granted bail in the sum of 100,000 with one surety.
The prosecutor and principal investigator of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Opeyemi Adeniran told the court that they had submitted an application to strike out the initial litigation in order to come with a fresh substituted charge.
Reacting to the substituted application, the defence counsel to the suspect, Prince Niran Ojekale who told the court that he was just seeing the new application, said he was not objecting to it in order not to cause undue delay.
The court struck out the former charges and adopted the new charges.
Prince Ojekale told the court that it could still take its judicial decision which was taken in the previous ruling on January. The accused person was granted bail and had not been forced to appear before the court.
Ojekale further said that he had never influenced the case since its commencement.
“The accused person is ready to assist the prosecutor in arresting his gang,” he stated.
He also prayed the court to grant the accused person bail promising that he would not jump bail if granted
But prosecutor opposed the bail application.
The presiding Magistrate I.O. Oyebadejo, in her ruling, ordered the prosecutor to present the complainant before the court.
She however granted bail of 200,000 naira to the accused person with one surety gainfully employed and resident within the jurisdiction of the court and adjourned the case till March 4, for hearing.
The state chairman of NUT, Comrade Wakil Amuda told newsmen after the court that the union was not relenting, adding that all necessary actions were going on in order to see that the suspect and his gang were judicially dealt with.
Amuda further said that the union is presently enjoying support from the state government of Osun on the case. He said that the state counsel would appear in court at the next adjourned day.
He urged the teachers to continue to be diligent in their profession, and promised that his leadership will never allow their rights to be infringed upon by hoodlums.
