Two men allegedly kill friend over bags of rice in Lagos

A Magistrate’s Court sitting in the Yaba area of Lagos State has remanded two friends, Noah Tovohome and Rajay Zannu, to a correctional centre for allegedly plotting and killing their friend, Segun Zusu, over 36 bags of rice.

The duo was brought before Magistrate Linda Balogun on Tuesday on two counts bordering on murder.

It was gathered in court that the defendants, Tovohome and Zannu, plotted with a boat driver who was conveying Zusu’s goods from Seme to kill him and steal the bags of rice.

However, on that day, they intercepted the boat around 2 am, at Novo River in Seme, used a plank to beat Zusu up, and threw him inside the river. They thereafter carried the bags of rice to Badagry, sold them for about N1.4m to a businesswoman and shared the money.

The police prosecutor, Chekwube Okeh, told the court that the defendants committed the offence on November 12, 2023.

According to Okeh, the offence contravenes Section 222 and is punishable under Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

The charges read in part, “That you, Noah Tovohome, 27, Rajay Zannu, 38 and others at large, on November 12, 2023, around 2 am, at Novo River, Seme, Lagos State, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did unlawfully kill one 26-year-old Segun Zusu, by hitting a plank on his head and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 222 and punishable under Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.”

 The pleas of the defendants were not taken.

Okeh prayed the court to remand them to a correctional centre pending the outcome of legal advice from the office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.

Magistrate Balogun granted the prayer and ordered that the defendant be remanded to the Kirikiri Correctional Centre pending the outcome of legal advice from the DPP.

Balogun also adjourned the case till January 22, 2024, for the DPP’s advice.