An Ondo Magistrate’s Court has ordered the remand of a 19-year-old comedian, Eyinatayo Iluyomade, for playing pranks by dropping a threat note of robbery at the counter of First Bank of Nigeria Ltd in Ondo town.
Iluyomade was charged to court last week by the police on a three-count-charge bordering on conspiracy, threat and manner likely to pose a security threat.
Police prosecutor, Akao Moremi, told the court that the defendant dropped the note at the bank indicating that by 1 pm on the same date, his armed robbery gang members would come to rob the bank.
Moremi said the note posed a security threat to the FirstBank’s Sabo branch, in Ondo town and also caused all banks operating in Ondo to shut down for the whole day.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
But the defence counsel, Hawkins Akinnugba, applied for the bail of the defendant in most liberal terms.
The bail application was, however, opposed by the police prosecutor on the ground that the defendant would tamper with the cause of investigation of the matter, adding that there are other criminal elements behind the threat.
The defendant, however, told the court that he is a comedian and that the note that he dropped at the FirstBank was a prank, adding that he has been doing this in Lagos until he relocated to Ondo town.
He said, “There is no other gang that wanted to rob the bank as it was written in the note.”
Iluyomade, therefore, pleaded with the court to forgive him and promised not to play such a prank again.
Magistrate Mosunmola Ikujuni refused the bail application pending the apprehension of other members of the alleged gang.
She adjourned the case till August 18 for ruling on the bail application.
