Popular dancehall artiste, Damini Ogulu, who goes by the alias Burna Boy, was on Monday arraigned before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly being an accessory to armed robbery.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the prosecution alleges that Burma Boy connived with others to rob one Mr Abiye Jimbo, another musician popularly known as Mr 2kay in his room at the Eko Hotels and Suites.
Burna Boy, who was arrested for alleged involvement in the robbery of his colleague, Abiye Jumbo, popularly called Mr. 2kay, was arraigned on two counts of “accessory to after fact and failing to give information to the police on the attack.
He pleaded not guilty to a two-count charge of conspiracy and accessory to armed robbery.
The prosecution, led by Insp. Peter Nwangwu, alleged that Burna Boy committed the offence on Oct. 24, at 11:20pm, alongside others who are now at large.
Nwangwu said that the dance hall artiste conspired with his accomplices to commit the offences and also did not disclose information of the said attack to security agents.
“This is in contravention of Sections 411 and 415 of the Criminal Law of Lagos 2011,” Nwangwu said.
The artiste pleaded not guilty to the two counts bordering on aiding of an offence preferred against him by the police when he was brought on Monday before a magistrate, Mrs. B.O. Osunsanmi, who held brief for Mrs. Y.O. Aje-Afunwa.
The charges read, “That you, Damini Ogulu, and others now at large, on the 24th day of October, 2017, around 11.20hrs (11.20am), at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit; accessory after the fact, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.
“That you, Damini Ogulu, and others now at large, on the same date, time and place, in the aforementioned magisterial district, did have information about the attack on one Abiye Jumbo, aka Mr.2kay, at Room 847 of the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, and did not disclose the said attack information to the security agent (sic), thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 415 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.”
His counsel, Bright Idahosa, prayed the court that he be granted bail in liberal terms.
While the police prosecutor, Inspector N. Peter, welcomed the request, a lawyer, Dan Whisky, who held brief for Grafton Entertainment, the promoter of Mr. 2kay, expressed reservation about the bail application, saying the sister case, involving the other remanded accomplices would come up on December 29.
One Tayo Reju held a watching brief for Eko Hotel and Suites.
A three-man gang had allegedly robbed Mr 2kay in his hotel room.
The instructions to rob Mr 2kay, according to the prosecution, were allegedly given to them through Burna Boy’s road Manager, Joel Kantiock.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Y. O Aje Afunwa granted the musician bail in the sum of N100,000, with two sureties in like sum.
She adjourned the case till Dec. 29 for hearing.
However, as against the tradition of keeping defendants on the court premises pending when bail conditions would be perfected, Burna Boy was immediately taken away in the SUV by the police.
He swiftly entered into the waiting SUV, Lexus 300RX with number plate, AAA 473 DB, in company with some policemen in mufti and was escorted from the court premises to an unidentified location.
