Jethro Ibileke/Benin
The arraignment of three teenage boys at a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Benin on Monday created a mild drama in the court as the Chief Magistrate gave a sermon on forgiveness to a Reverend of a church.
The name of the three boys involved in the case who were between 15 and 17 years of age, were given as Goodluck Benson, Omoruyi Isaiah and Ediomwan Desmond. They were alleged to have stolen N11,500 and a Techno phone worth N4000 inside St. Paul Anglican Church, Ologbo village in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State.
They however escaped death by the whiskers when a mob was said to have beaten then to pulp and placed tyres on their necks, but were fortunately rescued by the police.
The drama ensued when the boys were to be arraigned at the Court on a four count charge of stealing and belonging to an unlawful secret cult called Blade.
One of the suspects, Benson, told Chief Magistrate
Esohe Bazuaye told the court that he was 17 years and not 19 as written by the police on the charge sheet.
The suspects informed the Magistrate that they were from broken homes and were not caught at the scene of
crime, saying that they confessed because the mob threatened to kill them.
Enraged over the revelation from the suspects, the Chief Magistrate, Mrs. Esohe Bazuaye, sought to know why the suspects were not taken to a juvenile court instead of a regular court.
She then pleaded with the Pastor in charge of the church, Rev. Johnson Nwatamuojor, to forgive the suspects and rather join hands in rehabilitating them, adding that if sent to a remand home, the suspects would become more hardened.
“Has God not given you the assignment to win souls? We can turn the lives of these kids around …Read More
Source:: PM Newspaper
