Mr. Lere Olayinka, ane aid of the ousted “governor” of Ekiti State, Engr. Segun Oni, was on Tuesday remanded in police custody on the orders of Chief Magistrate Adegboye Richard of the Ekiti Magistrate Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti.
Olayinka was arraigned on a four count charge of sponsoring a seditious publication against the Ekiti State Governor; engaging in conducts likely to cause a breach of the peace; promoting feelings of ill will and hostility between teachers and government of Ekiti and unlawfully exciting teachers against Teachers Development Needs Assessment (TDNA).
He pleaded “not guilty” to all the charges.
It would be recalled that the dailies yesterday reported the arrest of Mr. Olayinka by men of the Nigeria Police at Ola-Oluwa Muslim Grammar School, Ado-Ekiti while attempting to “disrupt the Teachers Development Needs Assessment (TDNA) which was then going on.”
He was said to have led a group of suspected thugs to harass teachers who were writing the test by throwing stones at them in the exam hall.
Count one on the charge sheet read “That you Lere Olayinka (m) sometime in the month of October 2012 at Nova Road, Basiri, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State in the Ado-Ekiti magisterial district did publish a seditious matter against the government of Ekiti state and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 50 (2) (a) and punishable under section 51 (1) (c) of the criminal code cap 77, LFN, 2004.
Count two read “That you Lere Olayinka (M) on the same date and place in the aforementioned magisterial district did conduct yourself in a manner likely to cause the breach of peace and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 249 (d) of the criminal code cap (77) LFN, 2004.
Count three stated “That you Lere Olayinka (M) on the same date and place in the aforementioned magisterial district did promote feelings of ill will and hostility between the teachers employed by the Ekiti State Government against the Ekiti State government and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 50 (2) (d) and punishable under section 51 (1) (c) of the criminal code cap 77 LFN 2004.
The fourth charge was read “That you Lere Olayinka on the same date and place in the aforementioned magisterial district did unlawfully incite the teachers employed in the service of the government of Ekiti State against the Teachers Development Needs Assessment (TDNA) exam and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 50 (2). (b) and (c) and punishable under section 51 (c) of the criminal code cap 77, LFN, 2004.
The prosecution counsel, Joseph Onaji, urged the court to adjourn the case to allow more time for meaningful conclusion of ongoing investigation.
The three-man defence team led by Sule Longe prayed the court to grant the accused bail, contending that the charges were bailable, adding “it is also not a criminal offence.” Other members of his team are Bunmi Olugbade and Stephen Obamuagun.
However, Magistrate Soji Adegboye refused the accused bail as the bail application was made orally, advising the defence to tender a written application.
He consequently adjourned the case to Monday, 15 October and ordered that Olayinka be kept in police custody.
Last modified: October 9, 2012