Man Arraigned For Assault, Attempted Murder In Lagos

Marcus Olasege, a 52-year-old man, found himself in a Lagos courtroom on Monday, facing charges of assault and attempted murder against Mohammed Alli. The defendant appeared before Magistrate O.Y. Adefope of the Yaba Magistrates’ Court. The incident, which led to the charges, allegedly occurred on August 12, 2023, around 12 noon at Bishop Oluwole Street in Lagos State. According to the police prosecutor, Haruna Magaji, a previous misunderstanding between Olasege and Alli escalated to a violent confrontation. Reportedly, Olasege, in an attempt to confront Alli over their undisclosed issue, visited Alli's construction site. In a disturbing turn of events, Olasege began pelting stones at Alli's workers when he couldn't locate him. Upon Alli's arrival at the scene, the confrontation took a dangerous turn as Olasege allegedly stabbed him with a knife, causing injuries to his left side of the face and stomach. The charges against Olasege were brought under Sections 168(d) and 173 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2015. The charges read in part, “That you, Marcus Olasege, on August 12, 2023, around 12noon, at a site in Bishop Oluwole Street, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did assault one Mohammed Alli by using knife to stab him on the left side of his face and stomach which caused blood to be gushing out and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 173 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2015.” The defendant pleaded not guilty to these charges. Magistrate O.Y. Adefope granted Olasege bail in the amount of N200,000, with two sureties required to provide a similar sum. The case has been adjourned until September 22, 2023, for further proceedings. In the meantime, Marcus Olasege has been remanded in the custody of the Nigeria Correctional Service until he is able to meet the bail conditions set by the court. This legal development will be closely monitored as the case progresses through the judicial system.