Court orders Osun notorious cultist, Rashidi Oko’lu, to be remanded in prison

By Charles Akinbode

An Osun State Magistrate Court sitting in Osogbo, has ordered that the notorious cultist, Hammed Rashidi, otherwise known as Oko’lu, be remanded at the correctional facility in Ilesa.

Oko’lu (29-year old welder) on Wednesday appeared before the Chief Magistrate, Olusegun Ayilara, to face a nine-count charge, bordering on murder, unlawfully killing two persons, disruption of public peace, cultism, among others.

Brought to court amid very heavy security, the accused person was arraigned in court by the Police Anti-Cultism Squad, for murdering Hassan Adedeji, one Idowu aka Delta and for shooting Gbenga Eke, a police inspector.

The charge sheet brought to court by a police prosecutor, Inspector Elisha Olusegun, was not read before the magistrate and the accused person’s plea was not taken because the nature of the offences are capital in nature.

The police prosecutor earlier told the court that the accused person unlawfully murdered some people contrary to, and punishable under Sections 324 and 319 of the Law of Osun State.

Meanwhile, the defense counsel, Taiwo Awokunle, said the magistrate court lacks jurisdiction to handle the case and that it will be moved to the High Court.

In his ruling, the magistrate, who ordered that a duplicate case file should be forwarded to the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice, also ordered that the accused person to be remanded in Ilesa prison and adjourned the case till October 7.

It would be recalled that the accused person had been on police wanted list since five months ago for allegedly terrorizing people of Ede and its environment before he was eventually on early Saturday morning in Osogbo by a police tactical team.