Three men have been arraigned before an Abeokuta Chief Magistrate Court for assaulting a medical doctor while performing his duty.
The defendants, James Akode, Lekan Ajeigbe, and Rilwan Roheem, were arraigned on Monday on a three-count charge of conspiracy, assault and unlawful damage.
They however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The prosecution counsel, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Matthew Famuyiwa, told the court that the three defendants committed the offence on May 17 at the Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Aro in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
He said that the defendants conspired among themselves to assault one Dr. Alexander Onochie by pushing him down and causing him pains while performing his duty.
According to the prosecutor, the defendants are relatives to patients who came for treatment.
“The doctor, while attending to an emergency patient at the emergency ward, said that one of the defendants, Akode, came into his office and pleaded for quick attention on the sick sibling he brought for treatment,” the prosecuting counsel said.
“The doctor told him to be patient, that he was attending to another emergency, and when he was through with the patient, he called on the next patient, but nobody came in.
“On coming out of his office, he noticed there was nobody at the waiting room and when he stepped outside, he saw the trio with others, who conspired to assault him,” he said.
Famuyiwa also said that the defendants also damaged the side mirror valued at N20,000 and the bumper of the complainant’s Toyota Camry car which value is not yet known.
He added that the trio conducted themselves in a manner likely to cause breach of peace by causing commotion in the hospital environment.
He noted that the offence contravened Sections 516, 351, 451, and 249 of the criminal code laws of Ogun State 2006.
The Magistrate, Mrs D.O Kolawole Ogunbowale, thereafter admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N200,000 each with two sureties in like sum, who must be a registered bonds men with Ogun state Judiciary.
She, however, adjourned the case until June 4 for further hearing.
