Detained protester gives birth in prison custody

An 18 year old lady, Kemisola Oguniyi alleged to have participated in the protest against police brutality in October 2020 in Akure, Ondo State Capital and subsequently arrested by soldiers, has given birth to a baby in prison.

Penpushing reports that, the lady who was arrested in a random pick by the Nigerian Army alongside others which include; Ayodele Bukunmi, Ojo Samuel and Ani Obinna, were alleged to be involved in the protest which torched the All Progressive Congress (APC) secretariat in Akure, Ondo State.

The lady’s lawyer Tope Tomekun had insisted that his client(Oguniyi) was innocent, arguing that, she was arrested along with others while on her way to the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) to get money with which she hoped to buy drugs for her sick mother.

Penpushing further  reports that, the lady who had been pregnant before she was arrested went into labour on Tuesday, June 15, and gave birth to a baby boy on Wednesday, but had earlier  been charged with conspiracy to commit arson, riotous assembly, stealing and malicious damage.

The  lady was subsequently  remanded in Surulere Prison in Ondo West local government area of the state, while the lawyer maintained that  she was innocent of the charges preferred against her,and this was also corroborated by her father, Rotimi Ogunbiyi,

Penpushing also reports that the father  declared that the arrest and detention of her daughter was illegal, arguing  that her daughter would not have been arrested if not for her sick mother who needed drugs.

The counsel, has, however  written  to the Chief Judge of Ondo State,Justice  Oluwatoyin Akeredolu, and the state’s attorney-general, Charles Titiloye, calling for the detainee’s release and the termination of the charges filed against her..

“I write to you sir, first as a lawyer and in furtherance of my conviction as a believer in humanitarian cause of justice, to appeal to you sir, that for the sake of the sinless newborn child and in the interest of justice, to give directive that this matter be given an urgent hearing as this is one deserving case sir, in which the powers in this direction could be exercised’

Penpushing reports that the counsel  letter to the state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice,  called for the entering of “nolle prosequi” (withdrawal of the charges) in the case filed against his client.

“No single link between Kemisola and the allegation from the proof of evidence filed by the office of the Attorney-General which is now in my possession in furtherance of my brief from the parents,” the lawyer emphasised.

“I reasonably hold, with a very strong conviction, that the legal advice from the office of the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) ought to have exonerated Kemisola. That the office of the Attorney-General still went ahead to file charges against her which made her remained behind bars till she gave birth still baffles me. We use this medium to seek audience with the Honourable Attorney-General on this matter.”

‘For the “sake of the sinless newborn child and in the interest of justice,” appeal to the attorney-General “to rise to this occasion and enter nolle prosequi in the pending charge, AK/3C/2021. This is an emergency,” the lawyer added.

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