Woman tortures egg hawker over N300

A 37-year-old food seller, Dayo Adediran, was, yesterday, brought before an Ikeja Magistrate’s Court for allegedly torturing one Ayoola Usman, a hawker. The accused, residing at Kanu Street in Ntabo Ijoko in Ogun State, however, pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault. The prosecutor, Inspector Akeem Raji, told the court that the accused committed the offence on May 12 at Oke-Odo Market in Ikeja, Lagos, beating the hawker to pulp with a plank. The prosecutor said that the accused claimed that she bought eggs from the complainant and was supposed to collect N300 change, which Usman failed to give her because he had no change. Raji alleged that the complainant said he gave the change to the son of the accused the next day, but that Adediran claimed that she did not get it. The prosecutor said the accused, who was angry about not getting her N300 change, took a plank and started beating the complainant with it. Raji said the complainant reported the case to the police and the accused was arrested for questioning. The offence contravenes Section 173 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 and prescribes a three-year jail term for assault occasioning harm. The magistrate, Mr. T. O. Shomade, in his ruling, granted the accused N50,000 bail with one surety in like sum. Shomade said the surety must be gainfully employed and should provide evidence of two-year tax payment to Lagos State Government and adjourned the case until June 19.