Suleiman Muritala, of Pampo village in the Afon area of Kwara State has been killed by a gang of hoodlums, headed by one Muri Ogbena.
Ogbena, a youth group chairman, and 20 other thugs, armed with cutlasses and sticks, reportedly stormed Muritala’s house to ask for a sum of N50 said to be the village due.
A confrontation followed when Muritala failed to pay up which led to the gang to descend on him with weapons.
The gang fled the village leaving the deceased behind in a pool of his own blood at around 9.30pm on March 15.
It was also learnt that the miscreants had acted on the order of a leader of the community, identified as Kareem Magaji.
The attack was said to have been reported at the Afon Police Division the following day by a resident.
It was also gathered that 65-year-old Magaji and one Jimoh Ajao, 75, were later arrested by a police team, led by one Inspector Jubrin Mamud, while the case was transferred to the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department in Ilorin.
They were arraigned before a magistrate’s court in Ilorin for criminal conspiracy, breach of public peace and homicide.
The accused persons, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The magistrate, Mr. A. Bello, granted bail to the defendants in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties each in like sum. He added that the sureties must be related to the accused by blood.
Our correspondent gathered that the defendants had been released after their bail conditions were perfected by their relatives.
The case was adjourned till April 15, 2015 for mention.
