By Kayode Olabanji
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A 35 year-old mechanic, Oluwatobi Adewumi, has been dragged before an Akure Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting at Oke-Eda, for allegedly assaulting a guard.

The accused person was brought before the court presided over by Mrs Victoria Bob-Manuel on a count-charge of assault.

According to the prosecution, the accused assaulted Sunday Mallam, in December 2018, at about 11:30pm at Osisi community, Oke-Ijebu, in the  Akure magisterial district.

Adewumi was said to have  forcefully collected the cutlass given to Mallam by the community leader to guard the community at night and used it to machet him severally on his left hand, inflicting deep cut.

The accused  reportedly  attacked the guard because he challenged him for always coming late at nights, contrary to  the rules of the community which  do not permit movement at that period of time.

The alleged offence was said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 355 of the Criminal Code, Cap 37, Volume 1, Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria, 2006.

The prosecuting counsel, Sergeant Adebayo Sulaiman, told the court that two of the three prosecution witnesses were in court.

He prayed the court to adjourn the case to enable him study the case file and assemble all the witnesses.

Counsel to the defendant, Mr Femi Adetoye, did not oppose  the prosecutor’s oral application. But he urged the court to grant his client bail in most liberal term.

He stated that his client was only trying to defend himself, because the complainant was the first person who attempted to machet him.

In her ruling, Mrs Bob-Manuel, granted the accused person bail in sum of N200,000 with one reliable and substantial surety in like sum.

The magistrate said the surety must provide evidence of tax payment for the current year, obtained from the State Internal Revenue Department and two passport -size photographs of the surety and the accused person.

She adjourned the case till February 4, 2019, for mention.