Suit on man who named dog Buhari for Nov 21

Achief magistrate’s court in Ota, Ogun State, yesterday fixed November 21, 2016, to hear the application filed by Mr. Joachim Iroko, the man charged to court for naming his dog Buhari.

Iroko is challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the case.

Iroko was arraigned before the court on August 22, on a onecount charge of conduct likely to cause breach of peace. The defendant had last Friday, through his lawyer, Ebun OluAdegboruwa, filed an application before the court asking the magistrate to dismiss the criminal charge, as the conduct complained about, he argued, did not disclose any criminal offence.

In the said application, Iroko is seeking an order of the court quashing the charge number 671C/2016 preferred against him by the police.

The man also wants an order of the court staying further proceedings pending the hearing and final determination application.

When the case was mentioned yesterday Olu-Adegboruwa informed the court that the defence had filed two applications to challenge the jurisdiction of the court but that the prosecutor had declined service of the said applications, preferring rather that the motions be served of the on his office at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Eleweran, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. Consequently, OluAdegboruwa urged the court to suspend the trial since the defendant was challenging the jurisdiction of the court.

The human rights lawyer also applied to the court to direct the prosecutor to furnish the defence with the proof of evidence for the case.

After hearing arguments from counsel to Iroko, the court, presided over by Chief Magistrate B.J. Ojikutu, agreed to hear the applications challenging the jurisdiction of the court.

The case was fixed for November 21, 2016 to hear the application.