A mild drama played out last Friday in Onitsha Magistrate Court 3
when three monkeys and its owners, Mohammed Garuba, 22, Dauda Usman, 25
and Nurah Mohammed, 22 were arraigned on a two-count charge of
conspiracy and robbery.
Court proceedings were momentarily halted as the courtroom was thrown
into confusion and uncontrollable laughter when the case was mentioned
and the giant monkeys and their handlers were docked.
The three men and their monkeys were alleged to have robbed a senior
police officer (names withheld) attached to Zone 6 Calabar, who was on
transit. According to the prosecutor, the police officer was traveling
when he ran short of cash and went to one of the banks in Onitsha to
make some withdrawals. After the transaction, he was said to have run
into the people doing monkey magic, who had been accused of robbing
unsuspecting members of the public with their wild animals in the past.
When the case was called, the police prosecutor, Sgt Everest Chike
attached to SARS Awkuzu appeared for prosecution, while a counsel
announced his appearance for the accused persons and the monkeys.
The prosecution told the court after they had taken plea that the
crime was committed against the state around Upper Iweka, Onitsha when
the accused, on the pretence of show display, commanded the wild animals
and they forcefully pounced on the senior police officer, tore his
pocket and robbed him of N50, 000.
After the robbery, the monkeys, acting like being tele- guided, threw
the money to one of the owners, who immediately ran away from the scene
and is now at large.
The defence counsel faulted the charge, stating that the charge was
only to intimidate his clients, even as he argued that the charge that
brought both human beings and wild animals before the court was
inconsistent.
The counsel went further to pray the court to strike out the case on
the ground that the complainant was not in court and had told him that
he was no longer interested but when the prosecution replied him from
the point of law, the court, after viewing the matter critically, asked
the counsel to seek for the bail of the defendants.
Sgt Chike told the court that the victim was ever ready to come up
with his evidence even as he urged the court to temper justice with
mercy in giving the bail condition, his appeal was to enable the
defendants meet up with the bail condition so that their monkeys could
be released unbound to them for safe keep since there was no zoo in the
state to shepherd the monkeys by the police.
soure: daily sun
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