Magistrate’s schedule stalls assaulted photojournalist’s case

The hearing on the criminal proceedings preferred against Bayo Ogunsola, a director of TOS Funerals, who allegedly assaulted a photojournalist with Leadership Newspapers, Benedict Uwalaka, was on Thursday stalled at an Ikeja Magistrate’s Court, Lagos.

Ogunsola had allegedly assaulted and inflicted injuries on Uwalaka as well as destroyed his (Uwalaka’s) camera worth N715, 000 at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.

Ogunsola, along with another person at large, were alleged to have committed the offences on August 9 to prevent Uwalaka from taking the photographs of the corpses being taken by relatives of victims of the June 3 Dana Air crash at the mortuary.

The police had arraigned 29-year-old Ogunsola on August 31 on two counts of assault and wilful damage to which he pleaded not guilty.

Magistrate E.O. Ogunkanmi had admitted him to bail in the sum of N100, 000 with one surety in like sum and adjourned the matter for further hearing.

But at the resumed hearing, Ogunkanmi, who had started sitting on cases as contained in the cause list, suddenly informed the court that he would be rising to “attend a meeting.”

“I have just been informed that I should be in a meeting now. Lawyers of the parties involved in the cases before me should liaise with my registrars to fix another date. I rise,” Ogunkanmi said.

The court session was subsequently suspended. Meanwhile, February 28 has been fixed for further hearing on the matter.