The Lagos State Police Command on Thursday arraigned 83 persons who allegedly participated in the attack and looting of South African-owned mall, Shoprite.
The looters ostensibly engaged in the act in protest against continued killings of Nigerians in South Africa.
In a case with Charge No: A/102/2019, the accused persons were accused of conspiring to commit felony to wit: Arson, malicious damage, riotous assembly, stealing and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.
The charge sheet reads inter alia that the said accused persons with intent to carry out unlawful common purpose, did unlawfully assembled in such a manner as to cause persons in the neighbourhood to fear on reasonable ground, and conducted themselves in manners likely to cause the breach of peace at Shoprite Shopping Mall at Surulere and Sangotedo Ajalo, which is punishable under Section 168 (d) of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2015.
Other sections which they are chafed with are Section 287, and 50 which deals with stealing assorted properties and involvement in riotous assembly and unlawful destruction of properties, respectively.
Reacting to the development, Counsel to some of the Defendants, Oliver Omoredia Esq. said that South Africa is yet to formally admit that Nigerians have been killed in the past few days, but in Nigeria we have charged over 80 persons, many of whom have had no bearing with the looting, arson and stealings.
”Some of my clients were coming back from work and arrested. Young men in front of their houses or just going to see what was happening where arrested and have been charged to court. Let me not pre-empt the outcome of this case but I can already see where it is headed and when it gets there we will come back to enforce the rights of every wrongfully charged persons.
I hope that these Defendants will leave the court seeing the judiciary not just as an enforcer of the law but as a court of Justice. I sincerely hope also that we as a nation will not throw our own people under the bus because we want to look good in the eyes of other nations, that in itself will truly be self hate,” he said.
Recall that some persons were accused of looting a Shoprite belonging to a South African in response to the killing of Nigerians by South Africa.