On Thursday, September 5, a Lagos Chief Magistrate Court ordered the arrest of Ganiyu Oyedepo, also known as Koko Zaria, a prominent leader of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), for allegedly assaulting actor Baba Lawori.
In July, Naijalegit reported that Baba Lawori had publicly sought help after a brutal attack by one of Koko Zaria’s aides. The Yoruba actor recounted that while performing as a Master of Ceremony at an event, he was approached by a stranger who claimed Koko Zaria wanted to see him. Unaware it was a setup, he complied. Upon arrival, Koko Zaria questioned why Baba Lawori had failed to acknowledge him. Despite apologizing and offering to make amends, one of Koko Zaria’s associates reportedly smashed a bottle on Baba Lawori’s head, leaving him severely injured and unconscious.
The Nigeria police said it would investigate the assault, and they kept to their words, as Chief Magistrate B Sonuga remanded Koko Zaria after he pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him by the operatives of the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID). The prosecutor, Morufu Animashaun, a legal officer in the legal department of FCIID, Alagbon said in a charge marked B/40/2024, told the court that the defendant committed the offences on June 5, 2024 at Idimu, by conspiring with some of his boys to assault Lawori in the head with a bottle, which led to an injury.
The protege of MC Oluomo denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges. His lawyers, S. Bello and S.O Ajetomobi, moved for bail application, saying the charge against their client is a bailable one. They urged the court to grant him bail in the most liberal terms.
Chief Magistrate Sonuga, after hearing counsels’ submissions, grated Oyedepo bail in the sum of N2 million with two sureties in like sum. The sureties must be of unquestionable character with evidence of means of livelihood and reside within the court’s jurisdiction.
The Chief Magistrate also ordered the sureties to present to court evidence of three years tax and have their addresses verified. The Chief Magistrate, however, remanded the defendant in the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS) custody, pending the perfection of bail terms.
