The police on Thursday arraigned the Chairman of the Oyo State Park Management System (PMS) Disciplinary Committee, Alhaji Mukaila Lamidi, popularly known as ‘Auxiliary’, over the alleged destruction of campaign billboards of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
He was arraigned before a Chief Magistrate Court, sitting at Iwo Road, Ibadan, being Presided over by Mr Taiwo Oladiran.
The Prosecuting Police Officer, Mr Sunday Fatola, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), preferred a six-count charge against Lamidi, a former factional Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state. He told the court that the suspects have committed offences contrary to and punishable by the laws.
The allegations bordered on conspiracy, willful and unlawful damage, as well as the destruction of billboards. The PMS was set up by the state government, under the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The prosecutor told the court that Lamidi and others now at large, on November 13, 2022, at about 6:50p.m at Igboora in the Ibarapa zone of the state, purportedly conspired and willfully destroyed billboards bearing the pictures of the 2023 presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; the party’s governorship candidate in the state, Senator Teslim Folarin; and a House of Representatives candidate, valued at N1.2million. The offence, he said, is triable in the chief magistrate court in Ibadan.
The second charge borders on conspiracy, willful and unlawful damage, and destruction of billboards at Omi-Adio in Ibadan on November 13, 2022, at 11 am. The billboards reportedly bore the pictures of an APC House of Representatives candidate, Aderemi Oseni, valued at N3million.
Auxiliary pleaded not guilty to the six-count allegations levelled against him.
The presiding chief magistrate, Taiwo Oladiran, however, admitted Lamidi to bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum. The court also ordered that the house address of the suspect should be verified. He adjourned the case to February 2, 2023, for a hearing.
