Eight children accused of belonging to “Awawa” confraternity in Agege and its environs have been released to their parents by Magistrate Osunsanmi of a Magistrate court in Ikeja due to lack of diligent prosecution by the police.
The child defendants released are; Segun Oderinde, Uche Obasi, Samson Olufemi, Korede Adisa.
Others are Toyin Kafilat, Oniyide Samuel, Kamoru Jimoh and Udoh Ezekiel.
The children aged between 13 and 19 years were among those arrested sometimes by Rapid Response Squad,RRS in February, 2016 during a police raids of criminal hideouts following complaints from residents that some group of young boys and girls within ages ranging between 15 and 22 years, were making lives difficult for them and disrupting the peaceful atmosphere in Agege and its environs.
But at the proceeding on Monday, eight defendants were released after stern warning from Magistrate Osunsanmi to the suspects and their parents.
In an effort to drive home her admonition, she ordered their parents and guardian to monitor them properly at home as it appeared they were not keeping tabs with them for them to find themselves in unpleasant predicament.
Osunsanmi frowned at the response of the suspects that they were indiscriminately arrested in a bus and from various locations.
A defendant counsel to some of the child-offenders, G.O Adesanya corroborated their explanations by stating that the suspects were picked up while coming from a party in the early hours of the day they were arrested and on mere sighting of tattoos on Kamoru Jimoh, one of the children, the police arrested them and the Investigating Police Officer has not shown up in court.