The driver and the owner of the vehicle were arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Kaduna State on four counts of causing death by dangerous driving, driving without due care and attention, driving without a driving licence and driving without authorisation of the owner, and one count charge of negligent conduct while causing danger to person and property.

The suspects, Nehemiah Adejo and David Adejo, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, were however granted bail with the sum of N1 million each.

The defendants were also ordered by the court to produce two sureties each, who must reside within the jurisdiction of the court and are engaged in legal businesses and present a Bank Verification Number that corresponds with their information.

Consequently, the Chief Magistrate, Emmanuel Benjamin, adjourned the case till August 24 and 25.

The prosecution counsel had earlier prayed that the court to allow Nehemiah to be remanded, arguing that there is a pending investigation of culpable homicide against him.

But Nehemiah’s Counsel, Aliyu Omachi, argued for bail on the basis that his client was a first time offender and had spent more than 4 weeks in detention.

The late Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile was killed in a freak accident at the Nigerian Air Force Base in Kaduna and following the incident, three suspects were subsequently arrested.

The Nigerian Air Force had in line with extant laws handed over the three persons who were involved in the accident that led to the death of Flying Officer Arotile to the Nigeria Police, saying it is a civil case.

Kaduna State Police Command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Muhammad Jalige said the case of alleged culpable homicide and criminal conspiracy against the three occupants of the vehicle was still under investigation.

Acting Director of Information DHQ, Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu, announced that the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin, constituted the committee following the directive of President Buhari.

The committee, which would be headed by Rear Admiral I.T. Olaiya, has representatives of the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, the Nigeria Police, Department of State Services and the Defence Intelligence Agency.

Mr Ayo Owolabi made this know to Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, who was in his house in Kaduna state on Sunday July 28th.

He said “There is nothing anyone can do in a situation like this. One has to take it as one of those challenges of life. I felt pained. The only thing that made me sad outside the event was that, when I learnt about what happened immediately after he was shot. He was taken to the first hospital where they said they could not handle his case and was referred to Garki hospital where he was attended to and was stabilised. But the doctor, who was supposed to do surgery on him, was far away. Possibly if he was available, the boy’s life would have been saved and that would have saved us from this agony we found ourselves in for the past one week. I would have loved to find out why the doctor was not around. And what step has the management of that hospital taken on that doctor’s action. I saw the boy in a video sitting down, holding his tommy and bleeding. But the doctor to do the surgery was nowhere to be found.”