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#RevolutionNow: Court discharges, acquits 4 protesters in Ogun
Four protesters arrested on August 5, 2019 during the #RevolutionNow protest have been discharged and acquitted by the Magistrate Court sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta, capital of Ogun State.
The police had arrested Daniel Abraham, Festus Afofun, Kolawole Seun and Okoro Romeo for protesting during the #RevolutionNow march convened by Omoyele Sowore.
They were arraigned in court on August 7, 2019 on a three-count charge of conspiracy, unlawful assembly and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.
However, the court presided over by Magistrate II, O. A. Onaguruwa, upheld the ‘no case’ submission made on behalf of the four protesters by a Lagos-based lawyer, Inibehe Effiong.
Ruling on the case on Wednesday, Magistrate Onaguruwa held that the argument of the defendants’ counsel, Effiong, that it was not necessary for the defendants to enter their defence in the case cannot be faulted because the prosecution had failed to establish any of the essential elements of the three count charges.
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According to the court, the testimony of the prosecution witness as contended by Effiong was not only hearsay and inadmissible based on Section 38 of the Evidence Act, 2019 but was completely discredited under cross examination.
Magistrate Onaguruwa also wondered why the Investigation Police Officer in the case, Inspector Helen, would claim in her evidence that it was against the law for the defendants to have protested without police permit with mufflers and leaflets.
The court, relying on the provisions of Section 315 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Ogun State 2017 and decided cases, discharged and acquitted the defendants, given that a discharge in the circumstance amounts to an acquittal.
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