Three remanded over poisoning of neighbour’s water with Sniper

Three persons - Mrs Shade Gbadamosi, Aina Omowunmi and Rahman Balogun - have been remanded in prison custody on the order of an Ogba chief magistrate court, Lagos, for allegedly attempting to kill a female neighbour of theirs and her children.

The three accused persons were alleged to have poured a highly poisonous insecticide, Sniper, in a tank full of drinking water belonging to the neighbour, Munirat Muhammed.

The police said that the incident occurred at No. 28, Aje Street, Oke-Odo,

Lagos, where all the accused persons and the complainant resided.

The prosecutor, Superintendent Ezekiel Ayorinde, urged the court to visit the maximum punishment on all the accused persons, noting that if not by a stroke of luck, they would have killed Mrs Muhammed and her entire family.

Ayorinde narrated that the conspiracy to commit the offence started as a minor domestic quarrel between one of the accused persons, Shade (Mrs Gbadamosi) and Mrs Muhammed.

“Shade had a disagreement with Mrs Muhammed. Thereafter, she (Shade) reportedly bought cans of Sniper insecticide, woke up at night, poured the content into the cooking water of Mrs Muhammed and sneaked back to her apartment.

“However, while she was doing so, one of their neighbours who saw her when she emptied the Sniper into the water hinted Mrs Muhammed. The matter was reported at the police station in the area and Shade was arrested.

“It was her confessional statement that led to the arrest of the two other accused persons, Mrs Aina Omowumi and Rahman Balogun,” the prosecutor said.

The accused persons were arraigned on a two-count charge of attempted murder and attempt to cause a breach of the peace.

They, however, pleaded not guilty. Superintendent Ayorinde asked the court to give a date for hearing to enable the police prove that the defendants actually committed the offences.

The magistrate, Mrs B.O. Osunsanmi, granted them bail in the sum of N50,000 each, with one surety in like sum, and remanded them in prison custody pending when they will perfect their bail conditions.

Osunsanmi adjourned the matter till August 21, 2019.